


The Visit

by PrincessCharming



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: 3x11, Canon diversion, F/F, Post-episode fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-05
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2018-01-07 13:49:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 100,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1120597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessCharming/pseuds/PrincessCharming
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regina undergoes a Sleeping Curse in order to insert herself into Emma's memories and she only has one hour to transfer an important message. Post-ep for 3x11. Swan Queen. (Now continued)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The knocking on the door wasn't going away. Emma ran from the other end of her small apartment to try to get whoever it was to stop before they made too much noise. In her haste she bumped her shoulder on the fridge which stuck out from the kitchen into the walkway and stumbled onto something hard.

"Ow ffff!" she hissed. She looked down and realised she'd stepped on a brightly coloured piece of Fisher Price plastic on the floor. She cursed and kicked the block into the corner and lunged for the front door.

The knocks got louder just as she unbolted the deadlock.  _I really need to get one of those door chain thingys._

"Shh! Stop knocking," Emma whispered as soon as she cracked open the door. "I have a baby sleeping. What do you… want?"

Emma trailed off and stared at the woman apparently in about as much shock as she was. Her mouth went dry when she saw that the woman was stunningly beautiful. Brunette, not tall, maybe mid 30's, stylishly dressed and carrying herself with a posture that spoke of control, confidence, and grace. Emma was immediately self-conscious of her own appearance, she was still wearing her tank top and bed shorts and her unwashed hair was thrown up in a haphazard ponytail. Her roundish tummy showed that she'd been pregnant recently. She felt absurdly young at her eighteen years.

What on earth was a classy woman like this doing in this part of town? Let alone in the shitty rundown apartment block that Emma only barely managed to afford.

"Listen, lady, I don't want any trouble," warned Emma. She pushed her thick black glasses up her nose and tried to glare impressively. She held the door firm without opening it fully. They could both hear police sirens wailing nearby and loud voices arguing in one of the apartments down the hall. She could see the woman looking her over and noticing the peeling paint of the hall and the dim lighting.

"I'm not here to cause any trouble." The woman smiled, her slash of red lipstick widened to reveal a set of perfect white teeth. In it there was a cross between amusement and a challenge.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Okay, well if you're selling or collecting I got no money. And don't bother trying to roll my place later because all I got is second-hand stuff from Goodwill. You want money you should sell that handbag. It looks like it's worth more than my car."

"Miss Swan, do you always answer the door in this state of undress and list your monetary assets?"

Emma was even more on guard now. "How'd you know my name?"

"I'm from Social Services," the woman began, she must've seen the fright that leaped into Emma's face and softened her voice. "Nothing's wrong, dear. My name is Regina. I'm here to check on you and make sure you're coping. Maybe we can have a talk and you can tell me how you are?"

"Oh," Emma breathed out. "I didn't know they did that. That's kinda… nice. Um, sure. Come in."

* * *

Regina surveyed the apartment as she was led inside, relieved that the teenage Emma had fallen for her flimsy ruse. She ran her eyes over every detail, landing on every bit of furniture and item, as though taking an inventory of what was there and what was lacking. There seemed to be a lot lacking and it left her with a sinking feeling.

The apartment was small and not in good condition. There was only one window, hidden by a sheet for now, and two closed doors that must've led to the bathroom and bedroom. A battered old couch and coffee table were the only real furniture items she could see. They were covered in baby magazines, a few stuffed toys, and an assortment of towels and blankets. A sad-looking pram and foldup high chair were propped in the corner near a stack of brown cardboard moving boxes.

Emma was making a hasty effort at tidying up as she went along, she shifted a basket of laundry to the side and grabbed armfuls of stuff off the couch so they could sit down.

"Sorry it's such a mess," Emma apologised with embarrassment. "I just moved and haven't had time to do much. The baby's stuff is all over the place."

"It's fine," Regina said, putting on a smile. She took up a stuffed teddy bear and fingered the blue ribbon around its neck. The name of an Arizona hospital was stitched into the toy's furry belly.

They had only just sat down when Emma jumped up again and headed to the fridge. "Oh yeah, I should... Can I get you a drink or something? All I got is water and apple juice. I'm underage and still uh, breastfeeding so there's nothing grownup to offer you I'm afraid. It's really nice juice though, the dude next door gets all this organic stuff from work and he gave me a few bottles. Would you like some?"

Regina smiled again. "Apple juice would be lovely. Thankyou, Emma."

Once the teenager had supplied them with glasses of cold juice they both sipped in silence.

"You like it?" said Emma, still referring to the juice. "It's made from red apples, not green. Green apple juice is so gross. I can't get enough of red apples. Dunno why."

"I like them too," said Regina. She set down her glass so she could remove her blazer.

Emma noticed and grabbed at her blonde ponytail nervously. "I know it's stuffy and hot in here. I can't afford aircon and the fan is in the bedroom for the baby."

"I understand, of course. Let's get started shall we. How's the baby?"

"He's fine, healthy and developing normally. Eight weeks old last Monday. I took him to the free clinic and they gave him his shots and a checkup. He's growing so fast I can't believe it, but I think he's settling into a routine finally. Things have been a bit chaotic for a while because of hospital and jail and moving and all that stuff, but I'm trying my best. Whatever that is."

"Why don't you tell me how you're doing, Emma?"

Emma shrugged and her eyes darted around shiftily. "Me? Oh, uh good. Yeah, I'm doing good."

Regina knew Emma enough to know that she was being evasive, nodding too quickly and after she spoke she bit her lower lip as though to stop herself from saying more. She had a feeling that the teenager wasn't telling the whole truth. She may have been good at detecting lies but she wasn't good at telling them.

"It's hard being a single mother," said Regina. "I know that doing it alone isn't easy. You have no-one to help you with the little things or even just have someone to talk to for reassurance. Sometimes it feels like you're not doing enough for your child. It can make you feel guilty."

Emma was pressing her lips together tightly, like she was trying her hardest not to give in to crying. She swiped at a bit of liquid in the corner of her eye.

"Uh. Yeah, I guess so," Emma exhaled and crossed her arms in front of her. "What choice do I have? I'm sure you read my file. I don't have any family. I'm all he's got so I have to do what's best for him. But I sometimes feel like... I'm too young and stupid to do this. I'm not good enough and I never will be."

"Even as I say this you might not believe it, but you're better than you think you are, Emma."

The teen peered at her searchingly and obviously wasn't convinced, just as Regina predicted. A sudden cry rang out of the bedroom, a repetitive distress signal that was familiar to both women. In fact the urge to respond to it was so strong that Regina had to stop herself from getting up.

"I'll just go get him," Emma said. When she came out of the bedroom and sat down again there was a whimpering infant laying in her arms. All the baby was wearing was a diaper and a small white vest.  _Henry._  Just like she remembered him. Regina had the urge to reach out and place a hand on his perfect smooth skin to check that he wasn't too hot.

"He's hungry. Will it bother you if I feed him in front of you?" said Emma.

Regina was quick to shake her head. "No, of course not."

Emma unclipped her nursing bra and the baby latched on eagerly, cutting off his cries. She stroked his superfine hair and leaned back into the couch without taking her eyes off him for a second. Regina wanted to be annoyed at not being able to see much of the baby's face anymore but she was too taken in by the beautiful sight. Something that she hadn't shared with her son herself and never thought she'd see. Emma had a slight smile of content on her face. Regina couldn't take her eyes off her and luckily the teen was too absorbed to notice.  _How different Emma is when she doesn't know that she hates me._

"What's his name?" asked Regina.

"Henry." Emma looked up and smiled. There was pride glowing there now.

"That's a lovely name. It was my father's name too but it's not very common anymore. How did you decide upon it?"

Emma laughed lightly. "Yeah, I have no idea. I think I was still out of it when I filled in the birth certificate. Hm, wait. I didn't have drugs actually. By the time I got released and was taken to the hospital it was too late for all that. It's weird that I ended up naming him Henry because I had a name picked out beforehand. I was going to call him River. After that actor kid in Stand By Me, I must've seen that movie a hundred times while I was pregnant."

Regina narrowed her eyes in disbelief. "You were going to call your child River Swan?"

Emma tried not to laugh too hard and jostle the feeding baby. "I know right. I didn't even realise at the time. Stupid pregnancy brain."

The baby detached from her breast for a moment and mewled grumpily. Emma shifted him. "You done, kid? Oops, no. There you go again, seconds it is. I never know if he's done or not."

Emma took one of Henry's feet and ran her thumb gently over the little toes. "I don't really like kids that much and maybe I'm biased but he's pretty much the cutest baby ever right? Aren't you, Henry. Kid? Oh well, you're no help, too busy stuffing your face hey. Let's ask someone impartial. Regina, what do you say?"

"Your son is beautiful, Emma. You two make quite the pair."

* * *

Emma laid the sleepy boy back in his bassinet in the bedroom after he'd had his fill. She laid him on his back like the magazines instructed and moved all of the blankets and toys out of the way so that he wouldn't get hot or smothered. His eyes closed sleepily and he drifted off again.

When she returned to the apartment Regina was gone from her perch on the couch. The teen spied her sitting on the floor, managing to make it look like a yoga pose somehow. The woman was as regal as her namesake. She was reading a sheet of paper and concentrating on putting together an assortment of toys and shapes.

Regina noticed her return. "I thought I'd assemble the baby activity gym for you. I saw the Fisher Price box waiting in the corner."

"You don't have to do that." Emma joined her on the floor and leaned back on her hands. "But thanks, I couldn't for the life of me figure out how the hell it goes together."

"There's a trick to it."

"Yeah, what's that?"

"Read the instructions, dear." Regina raised her eyebrows and was delighted to see Emma give her a smartass 'har har' look in return. She went back to sorting the pieces on the floor.

"Have you got kids?" asked Emma.

"I have a son but he doesn't live with me anymore."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring that up. You must miss him huh."

"Yes, every day I think of him," said Regina. "And his mother. We've been separated for a long time."

Emma tried to keep her reaction hidden.  _Well, isn't that a surprise and such a coincidence._   _My social worker is a divorced lesbian Mommy._  The teen was curious as to what happened and was dying to know more. Regina seemed like she had everything going for her. There was some backstory here for sure, but no way to ask without being incredibly prying.

"So are you seeing anyone now?" asked Emma casually. "Or is there a chance of you getting back with her."

Regina furrowed a perfectly shaped eyebrow with amusement. "My, you are nosy."

"Hey, you're a social worker. Your job is being nosy. Perhaps you don't like the taste of your own medicine. I'm just making friendly conversation."

"I'm alone. For now."

Emma smirked. "Hm, why do I suddenly wish I was about ten years older."

"Is that relevant?" Regina busied herself with a bright green plastic frog that was supposed to hang from the baby gym.

"It would be. God, you're exactly my type you know. Wish we were the same age. Not that I'm in much of a state to be dating anyone these days let alone someone like you. I just had a baby and I'm covered in spitup or poop about ninety percent of the time. Time is a luxury I don't have anymore. As soon as the kid gets a bit older I've gotta find a job and maybe study something if I can. Dating isn't even on my agenda."

"So Henry's father..."

"Is not in the picture and never will be. Jerk. Didn't think I'd ever fall for a guy but he was kinda the exception to the rule. I had a girlfriend before that, we ran away from the foster home together. When I found out she was into drugs and other stuff she slapped me across the face and left. But at least she didn't get me pregnant and land my ass in jail. I think I'm done with relationships. I always seem to fall for the wrong sort and end up getting hurt."

"Hand me that piece of giraffe? It goes with that one." Regina pointed to the toy nearest Emma.

"Nah I got it. Even I can tell that the giraffe's head goes on the giraffe's body. There. You can do the rest though, you're all over this construction business. It's a cool looking gym thing isn't it? I got it from one of those charity toy drives."

"My son had one just like it when he was a baby."

Regina inserted one of the arms of the gym into the corner of the brightly coloured mat and it held fast with the other three in place. The plastic toy zoo animals dangled from the arms ready for Henry to lay under and be entertained by. Emma could picture it in her mind. His wide green eyes would watch the toys above him with interest and he would reach out with a little hand to grab them. Not for the first time she realised how close she came to never seeing her child again.

"Do you know that I was going to give him up?" said Emma. "I had planned to."

"Yes."

"I changed my mind. I'm not sure if it was the right thing to do or not. What do you think?"

"It doesn't matter what I think. It was your choice, it matters what you think."

Emma let out a breath. "I dunno. I'm pretty young but I do love him. I was an orphan myself so I know that there's plenty of not-so-great situations out there. But what if there was someone good out there who was waiting to adopt my baby? Maybe a married couple who couldn't have kids, or a single business lady who really wanted to be a mother and never got the chance, or maybe a couple of nice lesbian Moms or gay Dads. Someone better than me who could've given Henry a way nicer home than this."

The teenage mother finished her speech by gesturing to the ugly faded paintjob that marred the four walls of the small apartment she rented. Just as she said it the sheet acting as a makeshift curtain fell from where it was tacked across the window. It slipped to the floor and exposed the daylight through the dirty glass.

Emma smiled ironically. "Nice. We haven't got much but at least he's got a really awesome gym thing to play with." She reached out to flick the dolphin's tail and sent it spinning around.

* * *

Regina pushed open the bedroom door slowly in case it made any noise. She glanced behind her at the bathroom door where Emma was hidden inside. The teen had become embarrassed about still being in her nightclothes and she ducked away to change. She would be gone for a few minutes and it still wouldn't be long enough.

The bedroom was small and simple like the rest of the apartment. There was a double bed, a nightstand, and a tallboy piled with just enough clothes for a baby and a teenager. Henry was quiet in his bassinet in the corner. Regina was aching to go to him but she needed to look around first.

On the nightstand there was a picture of a young nervous-looking Emma holding a newborn wrapped in a blue blanket. It looked like it was taken not long after the baby was born. Laying beside the picture frame were Emma's circle necklace, her carkeys with the star keychain, and a hospital wrist bracelet with "Henry b/o Emma Swan" and his birthdate written on it.

Regina recognised some of the items.  _You never throw anything away do you, Emma?_  Almost as if she'd had so little in her life that she held onto whatever she had. Or perhaps it was because she believed that anything she had was good enough for her and never sought to replace things with better or newer versions. When Emma's heart attached to something it never let go.

Regina picked up a thick white book that said "BABY" on the front. It was a scrapbook and Emma had already started filling it in, carefully recording Henry's stats at birth and his subsequent milestones. The inscription inside the cover read:

_Dear Emma_

_Girl you know you need this for little River. Me and the Ladies chipped in. Don't you listen to them haters! Trust yourself always and you will be a great Mom. You are the nicest girl I ever shared a cell with you hear me. I know your gonna go places when you get out._

_Love Shawna_

She tried to swallow the discomfort choking her throat, reminded of Emma's wrongful incarceration and the circumstances of Henry's birth. Regina replaced the book in exactly the same way as she found it. Lying on the floor there was a pair of scuffed Converse shoes, a Nirvana CD case and disc player, and a shoebox full of hair ties and toiletries. Items that could've been seen in the bedroom of any other teenage girl.

Her eyes met the unmade bed next where a handmade woollen blanket was bunched up. She'd seen it once before and recognised the purple embroidery immediately. Regina didn't know how she knew but she had a vision of Emma clutching the baby blanket at night for comfort when she fell into an exhausted sleep.

_Oh god, she's so young. A baby is raising my baby._

She listened carefully but figured that Emma must still be in the bathroom. Regina went over to the bassinet where her son was awake. He was looking around curiously and wiggling his legs. He had his arms in the air reaching. Unable to resist any longer she scooped him up and settled him on her shoulder and felt the shards of loss press deeper into her chest.

"Hello Henry," she whispered. "I've missed you so much."

"Can you put him down please?" said Emma, her tone was polite but there was a slight hard edge to it that Regina was familiar with.

It felt like ripping out her own heart but Regina reluctantly bent to place Henry back in the bassinet. The baby reached up and she imagined that it was for her, even though this version of him had no memory of her at all. It almost looked like he was waving his little hand goodbye.

"I apologise," said Regina, taking a step back. "I should've asked first."

Emma put her hands on her jean-clad hips and nodded. She scanned the room as though checking for any disturbance or theft.

"What are you doing in here?" said Emma.

"I was merely-" Regina smiled. "I heard the baby cry."

"No, you didn't. The walls are thin here, trust me. I would've heard him."

"I just wanted to see him again."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Sure you weren't snooping around? You're not a social worker are you. Don't give me that look like you don't know what I'm talking about. I'm not a total idiot. I told you I've been in the system. I never heard of a social worker who paid more than five minutes attention to anyone  _ever_. You've been here for nearly an hour."

Regina hastily checked her watch. Emma was right. "I'm running out of time," she murmured.

"While you were in here I was doing a little snooping of my own. What the hell is  _this_ , Regina? If that's even your real name."

Emma held up a photo that she'd taken out of Regina's purse out in the living room. It was a photo of a boy with two women standing behind him. They weren't smiling widely but each laid a protective hand on his shoulder. Regina was the brunette in the photo and the other woman was blonde. It had been taken at a lousy dinner party by a happy-snappy schoolteacher armed with an iPhone.

"Who the hell is in this photo with you, Regina? She looks just like me but older. Is this my sister? Are you married to my sister? Did something happen to her? Is that why you're here?"

Regina shook her head. "No, Emma -"

"If you know something about my family - tell me!" Emma demanded. "I've been searching for them my whole life."

Regina held out her hands pacifyingly. "I do know your family but it's not what you think."

"Who is the chick in this photo? I need to know!"

"It's you, Emma. And that's Henry."

* * *

Emma stalked into the living room with her arms folded and heard the other woman following behind. She was increasingly suspicious of this sham visit and wanted to draw the action away from Henry. She didn't know what Regina's motives were but they weren't good and Emma didn't want anything to happen to her baby. This woman could be a crazy baby-snatcher for all she knew. She couldn't kick her out yet though.  _Because of that photo..._

"Explain to me who you are and what you're doing here," she said.

"I don't have time to get into all of that. But I need your help."

Emma scoffed. "You need  _my_  help? I can't do anything. There's not a lot I'm great at in life but I can tell when anyone is lying and you… aren't. The only conclusion is that you're crazy, lady."

Regina ignored that with obvious difficulty. "I don't have much time left. Someone will come to find you in ten years. He'll look strange and tell you strange things but you must believe what he says. Emma, promise me. Everything depends on you. I won't be able to come again myself. But if the man tries to tell that you that he's your lover don't believe that…"

"What are you, like a time traveller or something? Ok, I'll bite. If some weird guy comes here and tries to hit on me I'll kick him in the nuts. Happy?"

"For once in your life stop being skeptical," Regina snapped. "Listen to me carefully. Something terrible has happened. Your parents are in danger. Your family - everyone - needs you. We need you to save us as you were born to do."

"My family is right here," said Emma coldly. "In the bedroom. I don't have parents."

"You do. You're just as irritating as they are sometimes. I don't know why I put up with any of it."

Emma rolled her eyes. "If you're 'running out of time' or whatever, can you just get to the point? Instead of insulting me."

"All I can tell you is that your family needs you. They didn't abandon you, Emma. You were very much wanted."

"Uh huh, so in this fantasy land you're telling me about where I have parents and friends… hey, do I have a wife? Is she hot?"

"Oh for god's sake, Emma. Be serious."

"Is that a yes?"

Regina gritted her teeth. "Will you at least listen to what I have to say?"

Emma waved her hands in a 'go ahead' gesture. "Sure."

"I thought you would be happy here, but I was wrong. You still feel as if there's something missing in your life don't you? You're not sure what it is but there's a hole in your heart and you don't know why. The only thing you know is that it's there. You feel like you can't raise your son properly if you're constantly worrying over your fears and your troubles."

"How do you know that," said Emma quietly.

"I felt it too."

It was scary how accurately Regina's words described what was in her heart. Emma was terrified. She had been ever since she'd held Henry in her arms for the first time. It'd changed her, it filled her with an overwhelming amount of joy and fear all at once. Every day she revisited her decision to keep him and wondered if it was the right thing to do. She worried about his sleeping, his eating, his health, their living situation, their financial situation, their future… The list never ended. She had no idea if anything she was doing was right. She had no-one to ask.

But this was the first day that a crazy lady had showed up. The potential danger of it was almost worth the break in her monotonous routine of feeding and sleeping.

Emma nodded thoughtfully. "So you want my help in ten years' time but you won't tell me: 1) who you really are, 2) what you need me to help with, or 3) how I'm going to do whatever it is. Now I'm really convinced. Why are you here if you're not going to tell me anything useful?"

"I came here to tell you the one thing that all mothers should know."

"What's that."

"You're doing your best and that's good enough. The most important thing anyone can ever have is hope. Your mother told me to tell you that. It's why I'm here now."

"Ok, whatever. You told me. Now you really need to leave." Emma grabbed Regina's blazer and handbag from the couch and handed them to her. She started ushering her towards the door. If she hadn't been too hasty she could've caught sight of the microwave clock in the kitchen. It read 3:57.

Regina checked her own watch. She pleaded. "Emma, wait. I still have three minutes."

"Nope. Your watch must be fast. You're out of time with me."

"Please! Don't make me leave before I have to. I sacrificed much to come here. Let me have my last three minutes with you and Henry. He's everything to me. He's all I have."

"No. He's not yours, he's mine. You're not getting anywhere near my son!"

"I'm not here to hurt him. He's the only one I'm not a danger to. Emma, stop-!"

At the door, Regina stood her ground even though Emma was pushing her away. There was a scuffle and Emma successfully reached around to open the door and shoved the older woman out of the apartment.

The clock ticked over to 3:58.

Regina's entire body seemed to be screaming, trying to tell her something, pleading with her to believe in the strange story. But it was just so… insane. It was way too good to be true. If Emma had parents and friends who depended on her, people who wanted and loved her, then where were they? Where were they when  _she_  needed help? She'd been alone her entire life. Now that she was a mother she would never be truly alone again. But for some reason she still felt lonely and she was starting to lose hope that the feeling would ever go away.

"I know you don't believe me but I have to try," said Regina with increasing panic. "We knew each other in the future. Yes, we never got on well but there was more to it than that-"

Emma sighed. "Look, I'm sorry you lost someone. I think maybe you're grieving and you've glommed onto me and my kid in order to deal with that. But it isn't real. You need help."

"Yes! I need  _your_  help! You're the only one whose power is enough to match mine. Just tell me you believe me."

"Uh, sure. Ok I believe you."

Emma held the door and still the woman stood in the doorway, refusing to move and let it close. She was sympathetic to the Regina's plight and normally she'd have nothing better to do than help out an attractive lady who was clearly in trouble, but she couldn't do this now. She had Henry to think about and protecting him was all that mattered.

Regina stopped struggling against the door and stepped back. She nodded to herself as though she expected exactly this to happen.

"I know," said Regina resignedly, almost to herself. "I can't make you believe. I can't make you remember."

"I'm sorry," Emma softened her tone, trying to be less harsh about rejecting the lady's delusions. "Hey, if it is true… I guess I'll see you in ten years?"

Regina smiled sadly. "I hope so. But it may not be possible."

"Hey, anyway, for what it's worth, thanks for sitting and talking with me for a while. It was kinda nice you know. I got no-one else to talk to."

"You're welcome, Emma."

That was the last thing she heard before shutting the door. Emma leaned back against the rough wood with a sigh, thinking over everything that just happened over the last hour. There was something about Regina that made her want to believe all the crazy stuff she was saying.

Emma caught sight of something square and flat lying in the living room. It was the photo she'd taken from Regina's purse. The teenager got up and retrieved it without noticing that there was one less person in it now. She should give it back to her, maybe Regina hadn't left yet and was still in the hallway. But when she opened the door and looked outside there was no-one there. No-one was waiting down near the ricketty ancient elevator either.

How could she have disappeared so fast?

Emma closed the apartment door with a soft snick and locked the deadbolt. She couldn't afford to take her chances with safety in this neighbourhood. Maybe she wouldn't stay here very long though. She'd scrape together some money and move on.

A baby's cry rang out in the apartment and she sighed. Emma caught sight of the microwave clock on her way, the display read 4:00 exactly.

In the bedroom the young mother lifted her baby out of his bassinet and settled his weight on her shoulder.

"Shh kid." Emma swayed from side-to-side trying to sooth him. "You're not hungry again are you. Your little butt's dry so what's wrong huh. Just sad? I get sad sometimes too and it's ok, things will get better. Hey, I got a cool idea. The pretty lady put your activity gym together for you. How about we go play with it?"

* * *

_Fairytale Land_

The woman laying there was all in black, the colour that had always suited her best. It had been suggested that she be dressed in white for the occasion but those who had known her wouldn't allow it, insisting that she wouldn't be caught be dead wearing it after a life-long feud with its namesake.

Snow White gazed with sadness on the still form and a tear slipped down her cheek. Her husband placed an arm around her shoulders. They were dressed in their royal finery as usual, her in swan feathers and he in a redcoat with silver fastenings and a sword.

The dwarves shook their heads, indicating that there was nothing more to be done. They lifted the glass coffin and settled it in place where it would remain untouched for years, protecting and preserving the one inside.

"What happens now?" said Snow.

"We wait." Killian stepped up close to the coffin to examine the Queen's face for movement but she was deathly still. Leather boots creaked as the sketchy pirate moved and the smell of rum followed.

"For how long," said Charming with some impatience. "I don't like this plan. Too much of its success depends on you."

"Well, we don't exactly have much of a choice now do we, mate. There's no way we can win this battle without the Queen. It was her idea, we have to follow it through. We have to trust that Swan can save us."

"How do we know if Emma even got the message?"

"We don't." Killian shrugged.

"Yes, we do." Snow spoke up. "Regina risked not only her life but an eternity of poisoned sleep for a single hour with her. She wouldn't have done that if she didn't believe in Emma. She wouldn't fail."

Killian paused and looked startled for a second. He raised his eyebrows and used his hook to salute the glass coffin. "Ah. Always did fancy a fair fight over a lady. May the best man - or woman - win, Your Majesty."

The pirate swaggered away and the dwarves left too. After the others were gone from the chamber Snow shot an amused glance at her husband. His jaw was tight and he was staring fiercely at the coffin.

"I'm not sure which option I dislike more," grumbled Charming.

Snow smiled. "We both know that when we see our daughter again the last thing on your mind will be giving her a parental lecture about her choice in suitors."

"What do we do until then?"

"We fight. We survive one day at a time and hope that Emma and Henry are doing the same."

"What happens to Regina?"

Snow hooked her arm through his elbow. "When she wakes up you owe me ten gold. I told you they were sneaking off together in Neverland..."


	2. Chapter 2

 

"Who was at the door, Mom?" Henry asked again.

Emma shrugged without looking up from her breakfast plate. "I told you, I don't know."

"You never tell me anything."

Emma tried not to feel exasperated by his persistent questioning. She stuffed another forkful of pancake into her mouth. The last thing she was going to do was explain to her twelve-year-old son that she'd been kissed out of nowhere by some crazy guy who smelled of rum and leather and looked like he'd walked out of Treasure Island. The man knew her name though and that rattled her. Was there a threat to her family's safety?

Henry was a kid who was not easily dissuaded by a vague answer. She was yet to tell him something that she'd known about for a few days, something that he'd even less like hearing. But she was running out of time. Might as well get it over with.

"Kid, there is something I have to talk to you about…" said Emma. "We gotta start packing today ok? It's time we moved on."

Henry blinked in surprise. "We're moving  _again_? Why."

"We were never meant to stay here for long. You know we're only subletting this place while the Taylors are in Europe. I got an email from them saying that they're coming home early because of a family emergency and they need the apartment back. We can't stay here. It isn't our home."

"We don't  _have_  a home," said Henry shortly. "I don't want to move again. We never stay anywhere long enough, I never get to make friends. Why did you have to spring this on me like this?"

"I know, Henry," said Emma gently. She reached across the table to put her hand over his. "I'm sorry. Next place will be different. Boston? Maybe we can really settle down there. It'll be good for us, you'll see."

"Is this because of Amy? Are you looking for an excuse to get away from her?"

Emma was shocked. "Wh- How do you-"

"She called last night while you were in the shower. She sounded nice. Why didn't you let me meet her?"

"Kid, it's not like we were serious. It just didn't work out."

"Because you didn't let it. You always push everyone away."

"It's nothing to do with Amy," Emma said firmly. "We have to leave because the Taylors need their place back by Monday. We are moving today. I want you to start packing your stuff after breakfast please."

"NO. I'm not going!"

Henry dropped his fork with clatter. His chair scraped loudly as he stood up and stomped off to his bedroom (or rather, Mrs Taylor's sewing room).

"Fine!" she said over her shoulder. Emma had just about lost her patience with his pre-teenage backchat. "You can live here with the Taylors then. Maybe they'll adopt you."

"I wish they would! I wish you weren't my Mom."

Henry disappeared into his room and slammed the door shut with a bang. Emma sighed and closed her eyes. He really knew how to get on her last raw nerve and the worst part of it was that he was right. She needed to get her act together and provide a more stable home for her son. Ever since he was born he'd been carted around the country with her, never stopping in one town or city for very long.

She felt incredibly guilty dragging him through her itinerant life. Not for the first time she wondered if she'd done the right thing by keeping him.

_He didn't mean it_ , she told herself. She knew not to take it personally and that he was just saying it because he was angry and frustrated. She'd read in those parenting magazines that kids say things like that when they are not unable to express their emotions and they feel powerless. He was pushing her buttons, trying to get her to change her mind like he often did on moving day. It still hurt though. Especially because he was the only person in the world that loved her. He was everything.

"You don't mean that, kid," she said to the empty air. "If you woke up tomorrow and never had any parents at all you'd regret it."

* * *

"Why do I do this to myself," Emma muttered, stuffing her clothes into her suitcase. Packing was coming along quickly and easily. One of her boxes was ready to go because she hadn't even unpacked it from the last move. Why did she even keep it then if she didn't need whatever was inside? What was the point of all this?

_Moving is one of the most frustrating pain-in-the-ass things you can ever do and yet I do it all the time,_ she thought sarcastically. _What am I searching for in all these different places? A home? Well, that's just great. I'm never going to find what I'm looking for because a home isn't a place on a map. I should stop running and stay still. For Henry at least._

Because of her juvie record and lack of education or skills she had trouble finding good decent-paying work for several years. Things were a lot better lately, but when Henry was much younger she'd had no choice other than to rely on childcare while she worked two jobs. Thankfully he was smart and his education hadn't been too screwed up by changing schools often. Books for Henry were the one thing she'd always managed to scrape together enough money for. She wanted him to have a better chance in life than she had.

But she was still failing at being a stable parent. He needed roots. He was at the age when peer groups were increasingly important. He was old enough now to see the difference between his life and other kids' lives. He had no family other than her and eventually he stopped asking why he didn't have a Dad. He knew that she dated women these days now that he was a bit older, but Emma wasn't interested in a long-term relationship so she never let her son see that part of her.

_Before we leave I should call Amy to apologise for being a non-committal jerk and say "It's not you, it's me."_

Biggest cliche ever, but it was true in this case. Another cliche came to mind: orphans have trouble with emotional attachment. For Emma that wasn't completely true. She'd loved before, someone who ended up betraying her, but still - she'd given her heart fully and got handcuffs slapped on her wrists in return. Now the only love she had time for was Henry.

Emma shifted a manila folder full of important documents, including their birth certificates and Henry's health records, and slipped it into the pocket of her suitcase.

A small piece of cardboard fluttered to the floor and caught her eye. It was a photo. She picked it up wondering where it'd come from. She stored all of Henry's growing-up pics digitally.

It was a photo of her and Henry, but the strange thing was she wasn't standing directly behind him or next to him. They were the only two in the photo but there was a space next to her, almost like another person could've been standing there.

"Where did this come from?" Emma murmured. "I don't remember where this was taken."

Henry looked about the same age but she didn't recognise the background. The photo had no printer's watermarks on the back and it looked old and rough around the edges. She hadn't noticed it among her belongings before.

_Maybe at the next place you'll find someone who could fill that gap in your photos,_  her mind noted wryly.

Emma caught sight of her alarm clock. It was time to move on. She slipped the photo into the back pocket of her jeans and closed up the zip on her suitcase. She made a vow to herself about changing her ways like she had many times before.

_At the new place things will be different this time._   _I'll be different. I can change._

* * *

"I hate moving," the boy grumbled under his breath. "My life sucks."

Twelve-year-old Henry pulled his suitcase out from under the bed. His supply of clothes was already in there because there was no closet. He knew from experience that the rest of his things would easily fit in the small suitcase with room to spare.

He and Emma had just enough to get by on. Sometimes he felt weird at school wearing the same set of outfits all the time, but at least he didn't have to wear stuff from thrift shops anymore. Other kids had made a point of letting him know what a dork he looked like back then.

It wasn't difficult to locate which things were his belongings and which things were endemic to Mrs Taylor's flowery sewing room. When they'd first got here he'd had to move the sewing machine off the desk so he could have a place to study. He collected his school books from the desk and his favourite comics and packed them all. Next, he stored his laptop carefully in between layers of clothes so it wouldn't get damaged. His mom had saved up for a while to get it and he knew he wasn't likely to get a replacement for a few years.

There wasn't much point in accumulating more stuff than would fit in the car. Sometimes on moving day they'd have to drop by charity stores to get rid of whatever they wouldn't be taking to the new place.

Birthdays were his favourite time of the year. Not because he got presents though. Emma always gave him something far better than presents every single year. Even the years that she was particularly short of money. Each year she granted a wish for him, whatever he wanted to do or go to see she'd do her best to make it happen. His wishes over the years had included swimming lessons at Miami beach, looking for dinosaur fossils in Utah, and meeting one of his favourite artists at a comic book convention when they lived in San Francisco. He knew not to ask for expensive adventures but as he'd come to realise over the years, he'd seen and done a lot of cool stuff that other kids hadn't.

_It's almost like Mom doesn't want me to feel trapped by living in one place,_  he thought.

Kids everywhere thought he was weird. He didn't play sports because he moved too much and missed tryouts, he didn't have a game system or a phone, he spoke differently (more grownup and with a different accent, depending on where they happened to be). They seemed to know he'd only be around for a short time and didn't bother asking him to hang out.

Being different was really starting to suck hard.

"Hey kid, you need any help?"

Henry raised his eyes and saw his mother standing in the doorway. "Nope. I'm pretty much done."

"Me too." Emma smiled. She was dressed in her day clothes now. His mom came into the room and sat down on the bed next to him. She bumped her shoulder against his by way of apology.

"I'm sorry about before," she said. "For making you feel like I wasn't listening to why you're angry. I get why you're upset. I know it sucks to be bounced around all over the place when you're a kid and you don't get any say in what happens to you."

Henry looked at the carpet and shrugged. "I guess so. I'm sorry too, Mom. You know I love you?"

She wrapped him up in a hug and all was forgiven. They were both loners and they didn't have much, but the most important thing was that they were together. Fights were gotten over quickly.

Emma kissed his forehead and ruffled his hair. "I gotta go make some phone calls and then we'll start packing the car ok?"

"Yeah. I'm ready now."

Emma left. She'd only been gone from his room about thirty seconds when he called out to her. "Mom? Hey Mom, do you want me to gather the toiletries from in the bathroom? Mooooom?"

"Mom, where are you?" Henry went into the living to see where she'd gone. He stopped in his tracks.

A tall dark-haired man in a long black leather coat had his arms around Emma from behind. She was was neither struggling nor screaming though she was definitely afraid. Her eyes were telling him to run but he was motionless with fear. The first thing Henry noticed about the man was that he only had one hand and it was clapped over his mom's mouth to prevent her from calling for help.

Instead of his other hand, there was a silver hook pressed against Emma's throat.

The pirate winked at Henry. "Time to weigh anchor. Be a good lad and pick up that jellybean on the floor over there will you?"

* * *

_Fairytale Land_

A swirling vortex of light roared like a tornado and dropped its three occupants into the meadowy field. They fell roughly to the ground. The portal closed, having delivered its travellers successfully, and then it disappeared.

"Let go of me! What the HELL was that?!" yelled Emma. She staggered to her feet and grabbed for her son. She checked Henry over for injuries and pulled him close to her by the shoulder. She looked around warily, assessing the new surroundings for immediate threats.

"That," said Killian with a groan, aching already from his faceplant. "Was a portal between realms created by a magic bean. Rough way to travel for a seafarer such as myself but beggars can't be choosers."

"Magic?" cried Henry. "For real? Where are we?"

"Allow me to be the first to welcome you to the Enchanted Forest, young sir. As for your mother, 'welcome  _back_ ' is more appropriate."

Emma's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean."

"You were born here, princess. This is your home." He swept his arm out and around in a grandiose manner.

"Look, I don't know how or why you brought us here and dropped us in the middle of some damn forest. But you are going to take me and my son back to where we came from.  _Now_. I don't have a home and this is not where I was born."

Killian stepped up close into her personal space. To her credit she didn't lean away but returned the flirty look with a defiant challenge of her own. His eyes travelled down over her form, red leather jacket and dark skinny jeans tucked into boots, and then back up. He pointed over her shoulder making sure his arm brushed over her collarbones.

"There," he said. "You were born there. In the highest room of the tallest tower I believe."

Emma and Henry turned around and their mouths gaped open in identical expressions of shock. Behind them, rising into the sky was an enormous golden castle. Its many turrets gleamed in the sunlight and it was backed by rocky steeps that met a sparkling lake at their base. The gate was closed by the portcullis and the footbridge was in ruins. The walls showed signs of recent attack and damage.

"Woah," said Henry, taking in the sight with wonder. "It's a castle. A real one."

Emma shaded her eyes. "It looks like something out of-"

"A fairytale?" suggested Killian.

"I was going to say Fantasyland at Disney World. After a bomb went off out front."

"Ah, actually the Disney castle design was based on Sleeping Beauty's castle. It's a two day ride from here. This one belongs to Snow White."

"Really?" said Henry excitedly. "They're real people? That must mean … are you Captain Hook? You are, aren't you."

Killian saluted the boy with his hook. "Good guess, mate. Lost my hand to a nasty croc."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Right. Hey, if I'm a princess and I was born up there doesn't that mean it should be  _my_  castle? I'm gonna kick this Snow White's ass."

"Swan! Don't-" hissed Killian. But his warning was too late. He felt the prick of a sword at the back of his neck.

"Halt!" a gruff voice commanded. "Treacherous trespassers! We are the Queen's guard. Keep your hands, hooks, or hooves where we can see them and turn around. Slowly!"

The three of them did as they were bid. Two guards, one male and one female, outfitted in black livery and shining silverplated armour, were holding them at swordpoint. Emma and Henry raised their hands in surrender.

"There's been a mistake," said Killian impatiently. "I'm here on the Queen's orders. You could say we're friends."

The two guards chuckled to each other. "Friends eh? You believe that, Jack?"

"Nope, sounded like they were talking treason to me, Jill."

Emma snorted. "Ok, what the hell is going on here. Magic, fairytales, castles? I'm hallucinating."

Jack gasped. "Illegal drug use! What do you think this is- Wonderland?"

"We don't tolerate that sort of nonsense here," said Jill sharply. "We're taking you in."

"What?!" said Emma in disbelief. "I didn't mean- It was a  _joke_! God, you're worse than the TSA."

The guards ignored their protests and shackled Emma's and Killian's hands together behind their backs. There was some debate over whether to restrain the boy and in the end it was decided that anyone old enough to fight in the Ogre Wars ought to be shackled. The conscription age had been lowered yet again to supply the army with fresh soldiers and sometimes the recruiters "accidentally" rounded up younger children anyway.

The three of them were shoved towards the castle and ordered to march.

"I guess this is one way to get inside the castle," said Killian sarcastically. Being tied to Emma and force-marched at swordpoint made walking difficult for both of them.

Emma eyed Henry walking in front. She growled under her breath and whispered to the man beside her. "I don't care what happens to me. I definitely don't care what happens to you. But if anything happens to my kid… I'll shove that hook somewhere unpleasant and hang you out to dry."

"I've missed your ladylike repartee, Swan." Killian turned his face to talk to the guards. "You bucketheads are making a mistake! Do you have any idea who this woman is? You'd better be taking us to the Queen."

"Oh yes, treasonists, you are certainly going to face the Queen's wrath." Jack laughed. He prodded Killian in the back with his sword.

Jill shot her brother a sly look. "I think they'll enjoy meeting her, won't they."

"Indeed. She is not in a forgiving mood today I hear."

* * *

_Throne room_

"Your Majesty, a word? My guards have captured three prisoners who need your attention."

Snow White barely looked up from her parchment map, annoyed at the interruption. "Prisoners are nothing to do with me as you know, Head of the Guards. Ride them outside the castle territory and release them with whatever food they stole. They probably need it. I have neither the time nor inclination to deal with minor infractions. My entire Kingdom is in danger."

"But, Your Majesty. We fear a plot against your life-"

Snow sighed. "What were they arrested for?"

"Treachery, trespass, treason," the Head Guard answered. "And drug use."

The main doors burst open and two armed guards shoved their three prisoners into the hall. The two adults were gagged now and struggling with their captors and the third prisoner was a young boy. When the Queen saw the identities of the prisoners her jaw dropped in shock and she felt her heart start to beat in her chest again.

"Release them now! Then all of you go," she ordered hastily. Snow spoke to the tiny blue bird sitting on her shoulder. "Tell her to to join us immediately and bring my husband."

The guards side-eyed each other wondering what was going on, but they made quick work of untying the bonds. They left and the little blue bird flew out the door after them.

Killian coughed. "Appreciate it, Snow. Usually when I'm handcuffed to someone we're naked and it's a lot more fun."

"It was good for me too," Emma said flatly.

Snow felt the prick of tears as she stared at Emma, then at Henry, then at Emma again. She couldn't believe it. The plan had worked. They were finally being reunited after all these years of waiting. Her daughter and grandson were finally home.

"Emma! Henry! Oh, you're back at last."

Snow went to throw her arms around them both. Emma's eyes widened at the sudden movement. She jerked backwards and pulled Henry behind her, protecting him with her body as though they were being attacked.

"Wait. How do you know who we are," demanded Emma, holding her hand out like a stop sign. "Somebody better explain right now. Why have you kidnapped us and brought us to… to wherever-the-hell-we-are?"

Snow's heart sank. "You don't remember."

Killian nodded ruefully. "She's still cursed. Getting her here wasn't easy."

Snow thanked him profusely for his success, relieved that nothing had gone awry. As she spoke she caught Henry taking in her royal gown and the flowers pinned in her coal black hair. He must've noticed that her skin was pale and her lips, blood red.

"Are you Snow White?" asked the boy.

She smiled. "Yes, Henry. I am."

The side door opened again and Prince Charming burst through. He was followed by a small glowing blue fairy, flying at shoulder height. He strode into the room and stopped dead when he saw them.

"E-Emma?" he stammered. "Henry. Is it really you?"

Snow caught him by the arm before he could run to hug them. He gave her a curious look which turned to sadness at the slight shake of her head. They'd dreamed of this day for so long it was surreal that it was finally here. Their happy ending could never be complete without their daughter.

"Let me guess," said Emma, eyebrow raised. "You're Prince Charming. What is that blue thing flying around you? What is it supposed to be?"

The Blue Fairy floated close to Emma's face. "Now that the Saviour has returned we may fight this great evil that has befallen the land. We must restore her memories."

"You're a fairy!" said Henry. "Do something magical."

"Very well," said Blue. She waved her tiny wand and two small potion bottles appeared, one in Emma's hand and the other in Henry's.

"What is this," said Emma suspiciously. "Poison?"

"A potion," said Snow. "To help you both remember who you really are. It will return your real memories from the past ten years. You will both remember that you have family and a home."

"Are you serious," said Henry. "We have a home?"

"Let me tell you a story, Henry," said Snow, eyes twinkling. "Once upon a time a beautiful baby girl was born to a prince and princess. They loved her so much but they were devastated because a dark curse was set upon them by an Evil Queen who was determined to destroy their happy ending. They sent their beloved baby away to another land where she grew up and had a child of her own..."

Henry was enraptured, searching her expression for truth as she related tales of Storybrooke, Neverland, and the Enchanted Forest. She could tell that he was ready to believe. The boy was keen to know more and Snow realised that was the key. She didn't like it, but they would have to go through Henry to get to Emma. It was the only way.

"... and so the former Evil Queen realised what needed to be done. She let them escape from the curse's return and gifted them with new happy memories. In so doing she gave up the thing she loved most, her son."

"Me?" said Henry with wonder. "It's me in the story. Emma is the Saviour. You're her parents!"

Emma glared at them, unconvinced. "You're supposed to be kind and good, right? You're  _cruel_. How could you do that to a kid, tell him wild fantasies and lies. All you're doing is setting him up for disappointment and giving him unrealistic hope. My real parents abandoned me, they dumped me on the side of a road like trash."

"No, Emma," Henry pleaded and yanked on her arm. "That's just where you came through! Probably."

Snow nodded once to Charming and Hook. She hated herself for what she was about to do. "Restrain her. Henry? Drink the potion, sweetie."

"Stop, get off me!" Emma yelled angrily when Hook grabbed her again.

The two men only barely managed to hold Emma back by the arms, out of reach of Henry. She struggled against them, fighting like a wildcat, all the time yelling for them to let go of her and leave her son alone. The boy glanced down at the little glass bottle in his hand, with some uncertainty now. His mother was afraid for him and that was warning enough. But he wanted so badly to believe.

"I don't know what to do," said Henry quietly.

"Henry, please trust me," said Snow. "You and Emma can live here with us, your family, and you can finally have a home in this land. With both of your parents. Drink and you'll remember."

"Henry, don't!" screamed Emma. "It could be poison! NO!"

But her last word was too late, Henry pulled out the stopper and downed the bottle's contents in one gulp. He closed his eyes tightly for a few moments and when he opened them again he gasped as the new memories flooded his mind.

"Grandma!" he said to her and then to the men, "Grandpa. Hook. I remember everything."

Emma slumped in defeat and the men let her go. She ran to Henry and yanked open his mouth as if she could have looked in and retrieved the liquid, droplet by droplet, until the suspected poison was gone. She checked him over like she was expecting symptoms to appear straight away. But he was fine so far.

"Henry?" said Emma worriedly.

"Emma, I'm ok," said Henry. "You need to drink yours too. Everything you remember from the last ten years isn't real. Our minds only think it was. What really happened after I was born is that you gave me up and I was adopted by my real Mom and I lived with her in a place called Storybrooke. You came to live there when I was ten. A year ago we left to escape the curse, it erased everything that happened in Storybrooke and replaced our memories. It's like I have two lives in my head now. Only one of them was real."

"Your real Mom?" repeated Emma in an unreadable tone.

"You have to believe me, Emma," her son pleaded. "Use your superpower to see if I'm lying. I wouldn't lie to you."

"Kid, you lied last week when I asked you if you'd been watering Mrs Taylor's happy plants every day. You're gonna miss out on that twenty she promised you."

"You're just afraid to believe it because you always push people away. You're afraid that it'll turn out not to be true. But it is!"

Snow reached out to place a comforting hand on Emma's shoulder. "Please?"

Emma shook her head stubbornly. "I can't drink it even if I wanted to."

All of them looked down to their feet where the shattered remains of glass lay in a small puddle of blue liquid on the polished floor.

* * *

"There are only two options here," said Emma. "Either I'm dreaming or I've actually gone crazy for real."

"It's not a dream, Emma," said Charming.

"And you are not crazy," said Snow. "I know it must be hard for you to accept. It certainly was the first time you heard the truth."

"You're saying that all of this happened because of some Evil Queen..."

Emma was skeptical, but she felt something inside her urging her to believe. She was in a strange land with strangely dressed people telling her strange things and her son had somehow fallen for it. She was worried about him, but Henry seemed to be having the time of his life. Talking to his "grandma" and "grandpa", asking them all sorts of questions about fairytales and magic. Now he was pretending to duel with the pirate.

Her parents. Well, that was absolutely fucking crazy wasn't it. They were younger than she was. They were fairytale characters. Neither of them was blonde. It couldn't possibly be true and she didn't believe a word of the farfetched tale. It had plotholes in it for a start.

She tried to ignore the fact that this Snow White woman shared an uncanny likeness with her ( _I think I have her chin_ ), apart from the coal black hair and warm loving serene smile ( _I feel like I can trust her_ ). Why exactly was she wearing a dress made of feathers anyway ( _I would never wear anything like that_ ). The prince was handsome and charming like his name indicated, but every time he said something there was a second where she actually did find him charming before chastising herself for it.

Emma was suspicious of the tiny blue fairy who was buzzing around their faces rather annoyingly. For some reason she was wishing for a fly swat.

The Blue Fairy deplored the loss of the memory potion that Emma had smashed, but the others couldn't agree on whether she'd done it deliberately or accidentally during the commotion. The fairy informed the Queen that she was unable to make another one. Until certain rare ingredients became available they couldn't bring Emma's missing memories back.

A tear fell down Snow's cheek. The Queen and Charming held each other and looked upon their daughter with sadness. Emma felt guilty for causing it.

"Alright," Emma sighed. "Let's say that I accept this whole theory for a second, that I really am the Sa... the you-know-what. Why did you bring me here?"

"There's a new threat," said Charming, somewhat evasively. "But don't worry about that for now. We'll deal with that after we restore your memories, Emma."

"There's something you're not telling me."

Snow smiled overly brightly. "We're just glad to see you again. We are your parents. You may not remember us but we've missed you every minute that you've been gone. I know that all you ever wished for was to find us."

"I need some time."

"Of course. Please don't give up hope, Emma."

_"The most important thing anyone can ever have is hope. Your mother told me to tell you that. It's why I'm here now..."_

It felt like she'd heard that somewhere, a long time ago. Who had said that to her?

Henry ran over and threw his arms around Snow's middle. "Miss Blanch- I mean, Grandma Snow, where's Mom? Not the one slouching over there on the step, the other one. Where's Regina? Is she at her castle? Can we go there? Now?"

"Who is this 'other mom' my son has," Emma grumbled, crossing her arms on her knees. "And where the hell was she when I was knee-deep in dirty diapers and defusing the worst tantrums you've ever seen."

Snow tried to hide the smile that nearly split her face, but it was shortlived. Emma noticed that something about this other mom that made her sad.

"Mom is gonna be annoyed that you let me have candy all the time." Henry grinned cheekily.

"Whatever. What's she gonna do - kill me?"

Snow and Charming exchanged a look that meant there was simply no way to have this conversation without it ending badly. What was going on here that was so terrible they didn't even want to tell her?

"Emma," began Snow. "Do you - um, do you remember Regina at all?"

Emma shrugged. "No. Why?"

"You should have one memory of her," said Charming.

"She came to visit you something like ten years ago?" said Snow. "She came to bring you a message and warn you that Hook would show up one day to bring you to us?"

Emma's mouth dropped open. "Wait - that fake social worker was my kid's mother? She showed up one day to chat and snoop around my apartment. Back when Henry was a baby and we were living in Phoenix. She came to see us. How did she get to my world?"

"She wasn't really there. Regina went under a curse in order to insert herself into your memory, Emma. But she only had enough magic to last for an hour."

Snow explained the particular effects of a Sleeping Curse for her benefit, but to Emma it sounded like a flimsy plan with low expected payoff. She couldn't appreciate how bad it was, even if she suspended her disbelief that it wasn't real in the first place. Henry must've known how dire the situation was because he was clearly devastated.

"My mom is in a sleeping curse?" cried Henry. "Why would she do that to herself! Her True Love was the stable boy and he's long dead. The only way to break it is with a kiss from her True Love. Now she'll never wake up!"

"Never?" repeated Emma, searching for confirmation from Snow. "Are you saying that this woman sacrificed not only her life but an eternity of nightmarish sleep to bring me a message. To give me hope. To spend a single hour with me and Henry?"

"Yes."

_Is she in love with me or something?_  Emma thought to herself.  _That is romantic as hell. I could love her for that alone. Who IS this woman who would sacrifice herself for me?_

No-one had ever helped her in her entire life like that. When things were bad, when she used to cry about being tired from working night shifts or when she couldn't afford some toy Henry wanted that all the other kids had, when she used to go to bed every night wishing that they weren't alone, and when she hated herself for not being a better mother... she used to remember the woman's words. A reminder of hope that got her through tough times.

"Is she insane?" said Emma, shaking slightly with anger. "She drank poison knowing that she might never wake up? I want to see her."

"Emma-"

"Where is she?!" Emma demanded. "I have to see her. Take me to what'sername - Regina!"

"Do you think you can wake her?" said Henry hopefully. "Are you going to kiss her?"

"There has to be a way to wake her. If only so that I can tell her what a stupid sacrifice that was, giving up the rest of her damn life just so that I could stop feeling guilty hosting my little pity parties-of-one. How am I supposed to live with myself now, knowing what happened? She told me that she only had an hour but I didn't believe her. I kicked her out early. The last three minutes of her life. I am  _not_  giving up until I repay that debt."

"Lets go!" said Henry. "You might be her True Love after all. Mom, you have to kiss my other mom."

Charming grabbed her shoulder when she jumped to her feet. "Wait, you can't-"

Emma glared. "Why."

"Because Regina isn't here anymore."

"I thought you said she was in a glass coffin and you guys were keeping her here. Where has she been moved to? It's not like she can go anywhere on her own, unless she sleepwalks. This Evil Queen sounds like she was a badass, she's probably capable of it. If only to piss me off by making me search the entire realm for her. Anyway, it doesn't matter, I will find her. She saved me, now it's my turn to save her. I'll find a way."

"Emma, I'm sorry," said Snow, reluctant to be the bearer of bad news. "But she's already been woken up."


	3. Chapter 3

 

_Neverland, one year ago_

Emma sighed contentedly. She was sitting on the cool earth and leaning back against the rocks, her position concealed from most intrusions by thick greenery. It was the middle of the night and she'd snuck away from the others. She had her eyes closed, letting the sensations wash over her, feeling the tension build in her body completely under her control. Just a short time for her to get away mentally from the situation she was in.

The crunch of a footstep sounded nearby and she snapped out of it. Emma grabbed the sword sitting on the ground in front of her and jumped to her feet, ready for a fight.

"Emma, is that you?" It was Regina's voice.

She wasn't sure if she should be relieved that it wasn't Pan or one of the Lost Boys instead. Emma felt her face flame at being caught and forced herself to meet Regina's eyes, knowing that she looked dishevelled in a specific way.

"Yeah, it's me."

Regina smirked unkindly. "Now I see why we still haven't found our son yet. The leader of our gang of misfits is up half the night with her hand down her pants."

"That is NOT why," Emma said fiercely. She pointed at her with her sword. "You know what, Regina? I refuse to be embarrassed about this. My son is missing. I'm tired and hungry and frustrated because I've been stuck on this fucking island of insanity, sleeping three feet away from my parents for days. I need some comfort and a bit of time alone. I am not going to apologise for trying to cope. Not that you'd care about my wellbeing. You'd probably begrudge me food and water too."

Regina was clearly offended. "You assume I don't understand what you're going through? You think this is  _my_  idea of a relaxing holiday? I'm camping out with the Charmings, who by the way are even more irritating than you if that's even possible, and I'm not able to use magic to find my son who is god-knows-where and being held captive by a smug teenager who clearly has daddy issues."

"Yeah, ok. I get it. This situation sucks for both of us."

"What are you doing out this far by yourself? Apart from the fact that it's dangerous, half of the adult men on this island are in love with you. Take your pick."

"I'm not interested. Maybe when I was a lot younger, but not for a long time."

"You mean-"

"Yeah, I do mean. I have no idea why I'm even telling you this, I don't have to justify who I do or do not want to have sex with to you. My parents don't even know. You are not to use this against me, Regina. Although I'm sure you'd get a kick out of breaking my mother's heart."

"Why would you think that I'd do that?"

"Because it's what you always do. God, does everything have to be an argument with you?"

"Perhaps I'm offended," said Regina offhand, glancing away. "I'm the only unattached woman on this island. Why haven't you propositioned me?"

Emma burst out laughing. "Are you serious? You're mad because I haven't hit on you for a midnight bootycall? You want me to ask just so that you can say no and rub it in my face? You hate me. Anyway, what are  _you_  doing out here."

"Nothing."

"You're lying," Emma said easily. Then her eyes widened. "What a minute. Why would you be here in the middle of the night this far out. Are you - Oh my god, I bet you're out here too! For the same reason I am. You want time to yourself."

"So what if I do. I suppose you think I'm unfeeling and incapable of experiencing normal emotions?"

Emma shrugged pretend-thoughtfully. "No. The last thing you are is lacking in feelings, sometimes to the point of doing completely irrational stuff. The dating pool on this island is pretty shallow isn't it. Pity we're not back in Storybrooke huh? It'd be easier to find some privacy there or a partner at least."

"Not for me," said Regina shortly. "Everyone hates me, have you forgotten that fact? I assure you that I haven't."

"Come on, you're pretty hot you know. I bet there's someone out there who doesn't mind that other stuff. Who can resist a bad girl in bed?"

Regina's lips parted in shock. She actually looked hurt and it took Emma a second to realise what she'd implied. What she'd said must've really cut her deep if she couldn't come back at her with her own ascerbic rejoinder. Usually they could hit each other with anything they had and count on the other fighting back. Regina gave her a hateful glare, crossed her arms and started walking away.

"Wait, I'm sorry!" Emma blurted out. "That came out really badly, I didn't mean- Wait! Regina!"

She jogged a few steps to catch up. Emma reached for Regina's elbow but the other woman wrenched her arm away.

"Stop stop. I'm sorry ok? I didn't mean it like you're thinking. What I meant was not to give up hope, when you find someone who really loves you they won't care if you're hot in bed or if you've got a shitty past. Look, if I tell you something really embarrassing will you forgive me for being an idiot?"

Regina ignored her but stopped walking. Emma swayed from foot to foot, wondering whether she really was crazy for even considering telling her what she was about to admit. She pulled at her grey cutoff to straighten it out from where it'd been bunched up, but that only served to remind her of the person she'd been imagining kiss her torso. She knew she was going to regret this.

"Uh. It was- it was you I was thinking about before. When I was- you know- before."

Regina seemed surprised but not entirely impressed. "Really, dear? Am I supposed to be flattered by that."

"Uh yeah," Emma said in a 'duh' voice. "I could've gone with Jessica Biel you know. Obviously I'd prefer the real thing, but I've got about as much chance with  _her_  as I have with you."

"And you know that how? You haven't even asked me."

Emma's jaw dropped. "You  _want_ me to ask you? I can't tell if you mean it. Nah, I can't believe it. There's no way you're attracted to me."

Regina's voice dropped about an octave. "I might be. I think I see a solution to our mutual problem."

Emma returned it with a flirty look. "Oh really? Alright then. I'm willing to explore this whatever-this-is between us to see what we've got, but uh it's not just a sex thing for me so don't go thinking that. It's kinda complicated between us, especially now. So after we rescue Henry and get back to Storybrooke and when everything is back to normal I'll ask you out properly. We'll get together somehow. That is if we don't end up arguing ourselves to death here on this island."

"I'd like that. After we save Henry," said Regina, sealing the deal. She smiled weakly. "I miss him. I'm... afraid of losing him. I lost someone once before, I don't want to go through it again."

"You won't lose him. Neither of us will. We're gonna get him back."

Regina still had a shine in her eyes and she startled when Emma put a hand to her cheek. She was stiff at first when Emma wrapped her arms around her and drew her close. After a few seconds Emma felt the woman in her arms melt softly and then noticed hands on her hips.

"What are we doing," said Regina softly.

"This," Emma paused and spoke near her ear, "Is what's known as a hug. It happens sometimes when two people want to take comfort in each other. I think you need this right now. We both do."

"I suppose it's not entirely unpleasant. You are also in need of a shower, dear. It's been days since your bellyflop into the ocean."

"Excuse me, it was a graceful swan dive," Emma said wryly. "You need a shower too. Hey, Regina. Will you do something for me?"

"That very much depends on whether I want to or not."

"Keep your shirt unbuttoned. It's hot on this island and that's a pretty camisole you're wearing."

Emma stepped back to release her and went to head back to the camp. She heard Regina ask behind her, "You're going back now?"

"Yep," she said. Emma stopped and turned half towards her. "Because I really want to kiss you, but I don't want it to be here in the middle of a stinky jungle. Our first kiss is going to be a good one. Something to remember."

Regina tried to hide her smile but her eyes betrayed her. "You're less charming than you think you are."

"As if. You look pretty charmed to me." Emma smirked and walked away...

They'd shared a moment when we they were in that jungle alone and it seemed so easy to make the deal, to act on an attraction they'd both felt for a long time. But when they got back to camp Mary Margaret was awake and she was perceptive enough to notice their coming back together. The reminder of who they were and why they were in Neverland came to mind and suddenly things were back to normal between them. The bickering, fighting, jealousy, and sass were all back in equal measure.

It was probably only wishful thinking or her imagination but as Emma had held her she'd thought she could feel every cell of Regina's body saying:  _Don't let go, don't let go..._

Her heart gave its answer silently.

_I won't_.

* * *

_Fairytale land, Summer Palace_

"Oh, she's awake?" Emma frowned. "I guess there's nothing for me to do then. Heroic quest cancelled."

"I'm glad Mom is ok," said Henry. "But I don't understand. I thought only True Love's Kiss could break a Sleeping Curse. How did she wake up?"

Snow and Charming exchanged a quick glance. "We assume she was kissed."

"By who?" said Emma suspiciously.

"Robin Hood."

"What! Robin  _Hood_?" she repeated. "As in the guy who robs from the rich to give to the poor? That's gotta be wrong. Everyone in the world knows that Robin Hood and Maid Marian are meant to be together. I get that there's been some chinese-whispers interpretation of fairytales between here and the real world, but whoever heard of Robin Hood and the Evil Queen? That sounds dumb just saying it. What about Marian? Who does she end up with now. Did she run away with the Dish? Or the Spoon."

Snow ignored the sarcasm. "Marian died some time ago. Robin is now a widower with a little boy. Apparently, Regina was told as a young woman that he was her soulmate, but she was too afraid to pursue it back then and never went to meet him. I suppose she's looking for her second chance now."

"Ah, so they're a match because both of their spouses are dead?" said Emma, examining her supposed mother closely. "You don't seem certain about all of this. When did it happen? This supposedly magical kiss."

"Earlier today."

"You mean Emma only missed it by a few hours?" cried Henry. He pushed Emma in the shoulder. "Mom! You shouldn't have kicked Hook out the first time. If you had believed him we might have made it here in time."

"Ah!" Emma flinched and frowned at him. It was still weird to hear him call her by her first name. "Whatever, kid. No shoving."

"Can we go see Mom? Please?"

"You might want to try her castle," said Snow. "But there's something you should know before you leave. Robin has announced that he and Regina are engaged to be married."

"Already?! Seriously?" said Emma. "Didn't they only meet today when she woke up? I thought you said she never went to meet him."

She checked with Henry to see how he was taking the news that his mother was remarrying and it wasn't looking good. The poor kid only just remembered his other parent and now he learns that she's run off to marry some random guy her son has never even met? Emma wasn't sure if she believed any of this yet, but she knew that Henry believed it and he thought this other woman was his mother. He had to be upset and confused.

Emma put her arm around Henry's shoulder and said to her parents, "Why would Regina - why would  _anyone_  - agree to that? They got engaged straight away because of a kiss and some fairy magic that told her he was her soulmate? Well that is STUPID. You can't marry someone you don't know, even if it is fate. What if fate matches you up with someone horrible? Who IS this guy? He could be anyone. How do we know this Robin Hood is as charitable as his story says?"

"We met Robin," said Charming. "He seemed an ok guy. Why do you care so much, it's-"

"Don't say it's none of my business," warned Emma. "He's marrying my kid's other parent, I have a right to make sure he's not an asshole."

Henry frowned and shook his head resolutely. "I don't want Mom to marry an asshole."

"See!" said Emma. "Henry agrees with me."

Snow levelled her daughter with disapproval. "And where did he learn that kind of language, Emma Swan."

"Hey, he goes to public school. He didn't learn everything from me. Maybe his other mom is the potty mouth."

* * *

_Dining hall_

Snow and Charming went off to attend to some urgent Royal business and they ordered the servants to take Henry and Emma to the hall for some food. The kitchen must've been informed that the guests were a Prince and Princess because there was an amazing spread of different foods waiting on the long dining table for them.

Emma was stunned when the head cook came over to personally apologise for the meagre offerings. Due to the attacks on the realm some supplies had become scarce apparently, but Emma was surprised to hear it.  _This_  was meagre? She had to restrain herself from asking pointedly whether everyone in the realm ate like this or just the Royals.

She ate only enough to be polite. Emma was still obsessing over what she'd learned about Regina and her backstory. It didn't sit right with her at all and she didn't know why she couldn't let go. She didn't even know this woman but she had the urge to track her down so that she could shake some sense into her.

Henry was attacking the sweets and desserts when Snow came in and pulled Emma off to the side. But before she could say anything, Emma started in on her again.

"What should we do about this," whispered Emma. "We can't let her marry him. Didn't you tell her what a mistake this was?"

"Believe me," said Snow. "Regina would not take kindly to my interference in her love life. Perhaps I shouldn't have told you as much as I did."

"No, you did the right thing telling me. Someone has to do something about this. It looks like it's going to have to be me."

"Emma, can I ask you..." Snow bit her lips. "Are you in love with Regina?"

"No, how can I be," she said defensively. "We've only met once and that was twelve years ago. I don't even remember it very well. Ok yeah, I know how this looks but I'm not doing it out of jealousy, how could I be when I don't even know her?"

"You used to know her, but you don't remember it now. There always was something between the two of you, apart from the competitiveness and the fighting over Henry that is. Both of you were obsessed with each other. I used to think sometimes that maybe there was more to it than hate. She sacrificed a lot for you and I'm not just talking about the Sleeping Curse. She gifted you with new memories and entrusted you with her son. I've witnessed Regina in love before, she's willing to do whatever it takes to avenge a loss. If you were in love with her, you didn't tell anyone. I knew you for some time, Emma, but you never confided in me."

"Uh, so I never told you the um, gay thing? Would the other me be annoyed at me right now for outing myself?"

Snow shook her head imperceptibly. "I don't know. Maybe you thought you couldn't trust me with your secret."

"Yeah well, with your record of secret-keeping maybe that was wise."

Snow seemed chastened, maybe even a little sad.

Emma had never had to come out to a family member before, she didn't fear rejection because she never had anyone in her life who would care. She told Henry when he was fairly young, way before she started dating again, and he took it in stride the way innocent kids do before they learn to think otherwise. All he said was "Ok, Mommy" and went back to drawing with crayons.

Now, she'd unknowingly come out to her own mother and didn't know what reaction to expect.

"So, uh, are you ok with it?" said Emma. "Not that it matters if you disown me, since I don't remember you anyway."

"You're my daughter. All I've ever wanted for you is to be happy and it doesn't matter to me who you find love with as long as you're safe. I won't deny that Regina and I have a complicated history, but please keep in mind that she is dangerous. Especially when her heart is involved."

"I'm not going there to wreck things for her. If it turns out that she loves this guy and he treats her well, then I'll step off. But I want to know why she would sacrifice herself for me. I have to know."

"You think she might be in love with you."

Emma fidgeted. The idea had occurred to her of course. Regina had given up everything to make a nice memory in Emma's mind, one that amounted to ten years' worth of hope. She couldn't imagine why else someone would do something like that if not for love… And before she could stop herself, she'd already begun to hope for it.

"I have no idea how she feels. She's the one with our memories, not me. But I can't help that she got in my head and now I want to make sure she's ok. I owe her that at least."

* * *

After travelling by portal to a fantasy land where fairytales and magic were real and ending up finding her long-lost birth parents, Emma thought nothing else could be a bigger shock. But she was wrong. The four of them were going over the past in detail in the throne room when they were interrupted.

"Mommy! Daddy!" A sweet little voice came from the door.

The patter of feet flew across the hall carrying a tiny girl who ran and launched herself at Charming. He caught her easily and swung the giggling toddler up into his arms. She was about two years old with fair skin, blue eyes, and a tussle of shining blonde ringlets that fell onto her shoulders.

In short, she looked exactly like Emma.

"Hello, princess," said Charming to the girl. "What are you doing running about the castle with no shoes on? Where's nanny?"

The little girl held out her hands in a shrug but there was more mischief than innocence in it.

Snow smiled and glanced at Emma. "Anna, there's someone here we'd like you to meet. Do you remember we told you about your sister? That she was far away but one day she'd come back to us?"

"Sistuh? Where."

Snow put a hand on the baby to get her to look around and pointed to where Emma and Henry were waiting. The little girl watched them with wide eyes.

"This is your big sister Emma and that's her son Henry. Do you want to say hello? Say 'Hello Emma'."

"He'wo Emma."

Emma made an effort to smile. "Hi Anna. It's uh, great to finally meet you."

"Hi Anna," said Henry. "Wow, she looks just like you, Emma."

"We told her about you," Snow said to Emma. "And Henry too. We wanted her to know her family. You're her favourite bedtime story, she loves hearing it over and over."

Anna got distracted easily, she reached for her mother and tried to launch herself out of Charming's arms. Snow only just caught her around the middle. She shifted the girl onto her hip.

"Anna! No swan dives, please. James, for heaven's sake, you can't let her do that anymore. She could fall."

"She's fine, my love," said Charming. "She's a cheeky little monkey, aren't you?"

Snow and Henry sat on the rug to play games with the baby. The little girl took to her nephew immediately and she smiled and giggled at whatever he said. Snow and Charming were sneaking looks at Emma occasionally. She was sitting by herself a short distance away from the others.

Emma watched the lovely homey scene feeling like her reactions were under a microscope and her parents were the scientists. Even though she was a mother herself and she'd had a two year old at some point in the past, she was awkward and unsure about interacting with Anna. She couldn't think of a single thing to say, even though babies were easy to entertain. All you had to do was pull a funny face or do something silly and it'd bring a smile to their chubby cheeks.

But she couldn't do it.

She'd wished all her life to find her parents. When she had a spare moment in between working and raising Henry she used to trawl missing person sites on the internet, trying to find any clue about them. Her birth certificate and the hospital where she was taken after she was found were dead ends. There was simply nothing to go on.

Now she knew why her search had been futile. She'd found them for the second time in her adult life and they were nothing like she'd imagined.

_I don't know what I expected,_  thought Emma.  _Did I think that when I found them I'd magically turn back into a child and we could start over?_

She definitely hadn't expected them to have had another child. The orphan in her couldn't resist the idea that they'd given her up because they hadn't wanted  _her_ , not because they hadn't wanted a child. She knew now that it wasn't true, they'd been forced to give her up because of the curse.

It would be less difficult to deal with if they hadn't replaced her with a kid that looked just like her. It was like looking at a version of her past that she'd never had. It was too easy to imagine how it could've been.

When she was this girl's age she was living with a foster family, the same ones who sent her back when they replaced her with their own child. It made her feel like she'd always be second best, no matter which foster home she was in she'd always be inferior to any biokids the parents happened to have. Now, she'd found her real parents and she was  _still_  second best, even though she was their biological daughter.

This girl was living the life she should have had.

Emma couldn't help it. She was angry. Then guilty about feeling angry. Then confused about feeling guilty.

_Ugh, I hate myself!_   _I'm jealous of an innocent little girl who had nothing to do with what happened before she was born. It's not her fault so stop acting like a child. You're an adult, you should be over this by now. Grow the fuck up._

But her harsh self-remonstrance wasn't effective enough. As soon as her father came over to sit with her on the step, she knew what was coming. He was here to give her a daddy-daughter talk and she had no intention of letting him get through it unscathed.

"So you guys had another kid, huh?" she said. "She's cute. Congrats."

"Emma, I know how this looks," said Charming gently. "I know what you're thinking."

"I'm not thinking anything."

"We weren't trying to replace you, you're our daughter too and you always will be. You've been lost to us for a long time and we are so grateful that we got the chance during our last year in Storybrooke to get to know you. We are so proud of the woman you are and we love you. Nothing will ever change that."

Emma nodded quickly. "I know. I mean- I don't know, but I assume that this is something the other me would've known."

"It's ok if you're upset with us."

"I'm not upset," she denied it unconvincingly. "Before I was born you guys expected that you'd get to see me grow up, that you'd get to experience all the firsts and the joys of raising a child. But you both missed out on that and you wanted another chance at being parents. It's only natural. I understand. I'm a parent too, I would've regretted missing out on Henry's childhood."

Charming accepted it sadly. "You're upset because we've been given a second chance at being parents but you'll never have a second chance at a childhood."

"Hey, at least this way you can start fresh right? With a cute little kid who hasn't been screwed up yet. Like me."

"That isn't it. We always intended to have more children."

"It doesn't matter anyway. I'm thirty years old, I don't need to be parented. There's nothing for you guys to do, I'm done. I missed out."

"We never wanted to give you up, Emma," he pleaded with her to understand. "We sent you away to give you your best chance, so that you could come back one day and save us. I need to know that you believe that. Can you forgive us?"

"Sure," said Emma, deceptively light in tone. "I was tempted to give Henry away because I thought someone else out there could give him a better chance in life than I could. I did it for him. You guys didn't give me up for my sake though. You gave me up for the kingdom and that's great, noble in fact. But let me tell you something: I'm a mother, and if I were ever asked to sacrifice my son, or to choose between him and the entire world I'd say 'no, fuck you. I choose him.'"

Emma leapt to her feet and left, heading for the balcony so that she could get away. She wasn't too quick to miss seeing the pain in her father's eyes. She'd done enough damage and her anger had already caused enough hurt. To both of her parents.

* * *

It was dusk now and a startling sunset of reds and oranges was visible through the castle windows. Snow and Charming had been called away periodically throughout the afternoon to deal with castle business and military matters. Emma and Henry had been in Fairytale Land for a number of hours now but they were still no closer to finding out more about the 'dangerous threat', which was apparently the reason for bringing them there.

Henry had done most of the questioning, he pestered his grandparents over and over in an attempt to break them.

"What's happened since you guys got back here?"

"What is the great evil the Blue Fairy was talking about?"

"Why is everyone in danger?"

"From who?"

But the boy's efforts were to no avail. They were all deflected in favour of waiting until Emma's memories had been restored. Henry was smart enough to realise that whatever the problem was, Emma must be pivotal to the solution.

"Where's Rumpelstiltzskin? Is he alive after all? My mom is the most powerful after him. Why would she leave if she was needed here to help save everyone? Why isn't Mom's magic enough to defeat whoever-it-is?"

"Because she doesn't have-" Snow stopped herself there. "Henry, the entire kingdom is under attack. Regina has to protect the region around the Winter Castle, that's why she left."

"But why is this happening. Can't she and Emma use magic together?"

Emma jerked around in surprise, having been eavesdropping on the conversation. She caught Snow's eye and let the question hang in the air, but Snow said nothing.  _I have magic?_

Her father returned leading Anna by the hand. She ran to her mother excitedly and jumped up and down on the spot. Charming explained that Anna had gone potty all by herself again and Snow gave her daughter some gentle praise. Nobody could help smiling when Snow translated the little girl's disjointed two-word sentences as "she's asking if Emma goes potty like a big girl too".

Anna was too shy to go near her big sister but apparently there was some hero-worship going on.

Henry nudged Emma in the ribs and said under his breath, "Should I tell them you get the shits with your boss?"

"Cut it out, kid," she hissed back. "Stop swearing. My parents already think I raised you in a ghetto. You better not say anything like that when we go find Regina either."

"We're still going?" Henry said in surprise. He looked over to see if the grandparents noticed them conspiring but they were busy with Anna.

Emma grinned back. "The heroic quest is back on, kid. We gotta save your other mom from her own stupidity."

_BANG!_

Suddenly the entire room shook as though a large projectile had slammed into the castle wall nearby. It wasn't hard enough to knock them off their feet, but powerful enough to indicate that they were in serious danger from a direct hit. Emma grabbed Henry by the shoulder and Snow gathered Anna in her arms to shield the baby when she started crying out of fear.

"What the hell was that?" cried Emma.

"Guards!" ordered Charming. Three appeared instantly. "Ring the bell! Call to arms, every able-bodied soldier. We're ready for this."

"Escort all of the children, the injured, and the elderly down to the bunkers," said Snow. "And send for the High Constable."

Emma ran over to the window to see where the attack had come from. She almost expected to see tanks on the ground or a terrorist with an RPG over his shoulder. Instead she saw dark forms flying in the sky against the sunset but couldn't make out what they were, except that they seemed larger than birds and smaller than fighter jets.

Charming shouted at her. "Keep away from the window. It's a flying monkey attack."

Emma obeyed and joined the others but she was a little bemused. "Flying monkeys? As in the cackling fiends that looked like bad puppets from the Wizard of Oz movie?"

"It's no laughing matter," said Snow impatiently. "They're armed magically. A few precision strikes could take out half the castle with those boulders. They destroyed the gate and the footbridge last time."

"Then we have a problem."

"Yes, we can try to fight them off again. The last attack was months ago, but it seems she's upped her timetable."

"Who?"

Another blast hit the turret above and a shower of dust fell from parts of the ceiling. The rock walls were holding so far but one hit and they would crumble into a pile. Somewhere in the castle the warning bells began to ring.

A guard in more formal livery and bars of rank entered the room and delivered a note to Snow. All it said was 'SURRENDER HER'. The commander-in-chief stood at rigid stance to give his report.

"The regions are being attacked one by one," said the High Constable. "The Autumn Palace has already fallen. We're next."

"You know what to do," said Snow, as a dismissal. The commander-in-chief jerked a single nod and marched swiftly out of the room. She crumpled the note into her fist.

"What do we do?" said Henry.

"We can fight this, right?" asked Emma. "You said you'd been attacked before and survived."

Snow paused to give her husband a look of fear and worry, enough to make Emma worried herself about whatever was happening. She must've come to a decision. Snow practically threw Anna into Emma's arms and pushed her and Henry towards the door.

Anna squawked in protest and Snow kissed her cheek.

"Anna, my baby, you have to go with your sister for a while ok? Henry, Emma, you need to leave. There's a way out of the castle that no-one else knows about. It's in Anna's room. When you get outside keep going and don't stop."

"Head away from the setting sun," warned Charming. "Find Regina. She can help you."

"But-" Emma protested. "We can't leave you. I just found you."

Snow's stricken eyes filled. "Emma! Get yourselves out. Take care of the children."

"But I-" she hesitated, wrapping her arms tighter around the bundle in her arms and shooting a glance at Henry beside her. He was scared.

"Emma!" ordered Charming. "Do as your mother says. Please, go now."

"Ok," she said weakly.

Emma grabbed Henry's hand and ran. She looked back once and saw her parents arming themselves with swords and bows and quivers from a hidden cache under the floor. Somehow she knew it'd be the last time she ever saw them.

* * *

The attack continued. Every minute or so the castle would shudder from another blast, sometimes one that was dangerously close. Guards and yeoman with wooden weapons and knives filled the corridors, racing from position to position to escape the destruction. Walls were damaged, leaving piles of rubble everywhere and dust clouding in the air.

"Anna!" said Emma urgently, while she was running. She stopped in her tracks at an intersection of long hallways and gripped Henry's hand tightly. "Anna! Do you know where your room is? I know you're frightened, sweetie. Help us find the way out?"

But Anna was too terrified to speak, she had her hands clapped over her ears and her eyes squeezed shut. She buried her face in Emma's shoulder and clung to her neck.

Emma coughed. "Henry, which way?"

A commotion sounded behind them. They started running again, taking the rightmost arm because the left had filled with archers. Henry dropped her hand and ran ahead. He hadn't gone far when one of the doors caught his eye.

"Mom! Look," he cried. He was pointing to a door with a purple poster stuck on the front. It was covered in rainbows and unicorn stickers and in big block letters it had the name:

ANNA SWAN

"That's it," Emma said in relief. The three of them ducked inside and slammed the door shut behind them. It was definitely a little girl's room, there were toys everywhere and a pretty wooden crib in the center. The walls were painted with scenes from a fairy grotto and there were papers with kid's drawings displayed on all of them.

"Now what?" asked Henry, looking around. "Is there a secret passageway?"

"I'll check. Henry, grab that thing from her bed."

Emma went straight to the fireplace and bashed every knob and jut she could find. Nothing worked. Then she noticed a carving in the wood, some sort of water bird, and shoved her thumb into it. A loud clank announced that the floor of the fireplace had fallen away, revealing their exit.

Henry handed her a purple plushy toy which she held near Anna's hand. The little girl only moved enough to tuck it under her wing.

"You go first," said Emma, still panting from the earlier running. "I'll follow with Anna."

"Mom," said Henry anxiously. "Are we gonna be ok?"

Emma smiled at him, stamping the fear back down inside herself. "Of course, kid. We'll be right behind you."

After he'd disappeared, Emma was climbing into the fireplace when she heard shouting in the corridor. She wondered if enemies had breached and flooded into the castle. Her head whipped around at the sound of a booming voice.

_"WHERE IS THE PRINCESS? FIND HER."_

"Anna, it's ok, I've got you," Emma soothed. She placed a kiss on top of the smooth blonde head. "You're so brave. Keep your eyes closed and hold tight to me ok? Let's get out of here."

When the door burst open they were gone.


	4. Chapter 4

 

_Storybrooke, one year ago_

 

Emma had purposefully avoided going anywhere near the diner at the appointed time. She wasn’t even in the same street or at Mary Margaret’s or at the station, all of which were locations too close to Granny’s where Neal would be waiting for her. She was sitting near the harbour, wrapped up in her jacket, gloves, and beanie, with her hair whipping in her face every time the wind picked up.

 

Technically she’d never agreed to go in the first place. She hadn’t wanted to but Neal insisted. She could picture him waiting there, losing hope as his coffee cooled with every passing minute. She wondered if he actually expected her to turn up. She felt guilty.

 

_I have nothing to be guilty about,_ she thought crossly. _So what if his feelings are hurt because I didn’t turn up for coffee. You know what he didn’t turn up for? Me. He left me for ten years and now he expects to pick up where we left off?_

 

He’d moved on, he was engaged not so long ago. Well, Emma had moved on too. Several times. Actually, moving on was her bad habit. Now she was so good at it that she never became attached to anyone in the first place. The only exception being Storybrooke.

 

But she’d loved him once and the pain of that was still in her heart like scar tissue from a surgery gone wrong. Even though she still loved him in a way, getting back with him would mean she’d have to face all of that messy pain again. They’d have to unpack all of that baggage in order to travel forward… and she simply didn’t want to. She couldn’t explain it to him any other way. She couldn’t be with him now. Too much had happened and remembering it made her angry. She’d changed. She wasn’t ready to explain her real reasons.

 

_Oh hey, Neal, the truth is I’m kinda sorta gay now. Can you please not tell my parents though? They’ve got their hearts set on us getting back together and they really - REALLY- would not like the one I’m actually head over heels for. I’m not ready for them to know._

 

It was odd that her parents were pushing her towards the guy who knocked her up as a teenager and abandoned her. Perhaps they suspected that her persuasions lay elsewhere now and that was even worse.

 

Emma took her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans and stared at it. She scrolled through her contacts list until one of the names was highlighted.

 

She wanted to call her. They’d made a deal in the jungle back in Neverland that they’d try getting together when things got back to normal. Emma had promised to ask Regina out on a date, a proper one. She was trying to tell her that she wanted to attempt something real, the start of something long-lasting, definitely not a one-night thing to break the tension that had always been between them.

 

The question was: were things back to normal yet?

 

Not really. Would they ever be? Something was up with Henry, she could feel it in her gut. She couldn’t be certain but it felt like something other than jealousy that their son had gone with Regina instead of her for his first night back. She hadn’t wanted to let him out of her sight either. His behaviour didn’t sit right with her.

 

Emma knew it was petty but she liked it when Henry chose her over Regina. No doubt Regina felt the same way, both of them knew that about the other as well. It was a perpetual competition for the title of “favourite Mom”. After a year in Storybrooke, Emma wasn’t used to losing. She had more sympathy for Regina these days, though the Mayor could certainly give at least as good as she got in the revenge department.

 

They were squabbling over him already.

 

Emma typed a message into her phone. She rolled her eyes and erased her first attempt as it was full of typos. Then did the same with her second and third. It took her nearly ten minutes to compose her message because she was trying to decide what to say.

 

_Hi Regina. Is Henry ok today?_

 

The terse reply came quickly.

 

_Yes. Why wouldn’t he be?_

 

_He was out of sorts yesterday. I was just wondering if he was back to his old self._

 

_He’s been through a lot recently, that’s why he’s upset. I was a single mother for ten years, I’m perfectly capable of taking care of my son without interference from another parent. Especially one who has little to no experience taking care of a child._

 

_I didn’t mean it like that. I’m worried. Sorry for how it sounded. Friends?_

 

There was a long wait. Clearly Regina still hadn’t gotten over the credulity she’d expressed in Neverland over the idea that she wanted to be friends of sorts. Emma couldn’t resist sending another message.

 

_Let me know what time to pick him up today and I’ll come over to your place._

 

_When or if my son asks for you I’ll call you._

 

Emma frowned to herself, wondering why the hell Regina was being so snippy. The conversation had gotten way out of hand. She wasn’t trying to pick a fight with her or threaten her desire to spend time with their son. Regina was always looking to deliberately misinterpret everything she said. She hadn’t meant to imply those things at all. Clearly any notion of cooperation they’d had in Neverland had been lost overboard on the journey back.

 

She was just about to call Regina and try to apologise and/or reason with the stubborn woman when she realised she was not longer alone.

 

“Isn’t Granny’s that way?” said a familiar voice to her left.

 

Emma turned her head and squinted. It was David. No doubt come to ask why she hadn’t presented herself for her ‘date’.

 

* * *

 

_Fairytale Land_

 

The passageway in Anna’s fireplace turned out to be a long slide that wound around through the castle and sent them sailing through a chute. Emma’s feet hit the ground outside at speed and she barely managed to keep her footing.

 

“Mom! This way.” Henry was a few paces ahead and waving his hand.

 

He took off into the forest and Emma followed at a run. She was slowed down of course by carrying a twenty-five pound weight in the form of a child. As they ran, Emma kept her eye on the surroundings and checked behind them to see if anyone had pursued them down the slide. She had no idea if there was an ambush waiting in the woods ahead but they had no choice other than to keep going.

 

“Henry,” she panted, trying to catch her breath and talk as well. She gained on her son and grabbed his hand, leaving her with none free. “We need to veer left. Sunset’s on the right.”

 

“Why do you think we have to stay away from the west?” said Henry, who was puffing too.

 

“The Witch?”

 

“Maybe. It fits. But what does she want?”

 

Emma glared and adjusted Anna’s weight. “Something she’s not getting.”

 

“Wait! What’s that noise?” said Henry.

 

A loud rumbling in the background had them skidding to a stop. They turned just in time to see the castle battlements collapsing in the distance behind them. The entire front wall of the castle fell into a pile of rock sections and caused an enormous cloud of dust. Henry and Emma watched in awed horror, which only grew when they realised that Anna had raised her head and seen it too.

 

“Mommy?” the toddler said. “Daddy.”

 

“Emma,” Henry’s voice shook. “W-would they have survived that?”

 

Emma’s heart sank and she swallowed hard. “They - you know, they might not have been in the battlements. Maybe they didn’t stay to fight, they might’ve gone to the bunkers with everyone else. I’m sure they did...”

 

Henry’s eyes dropped to the ground. She put her arm around Henry to hug him and heard him clear his throat. Emma knew her son would be trying to put on a brave face and not cry.

 

She cleared her throat. “We have to keep going, kids.”

 

She and Henry started jogging again, this time in silence. They each stored their emotions away for later, getting out of danger took priority right now. The woods were quiet apart from the noise of their footsteps and steady breathing. It was a while before they could head to the left though, because the rocky steeps prevented it.

 

In the distance behind them the flying monkeys circled the castle and nearby grounds as though searching for something.

 

In the failing light they switched to walking until Emma declared that they should stop for a rest. It would be pointless trying to go further in the dark. In truth, her arms were aching from carrying Anna and her lungs had been burning for several miles. If she’d been at the gym she would’ve stopped ages ago, but running to survive had pushed her through the pain in her muscles and chest.

 

“Over here, Mom.”

 

Henry found a recess in the rock formation where they could sleep with some cover for protection. Emma set Anna down for a minute so she could take off her jacket and sweater to use as pillows or for warmth. Then she sat with her back against the wall and held out her arms for the baby. Anna fell asleep in her arms straight away and Henry laid down on the ground next to his mother with her jacket under his head.

 

“Mom, why are they after us,” he whispered.

 

“I think they want Anna,” said Emma softly. She rubbed circles on the sleeping baby’s back which was now covered by her sweater. Her other hand was laid protectively on Henry’s shoulder.

 

“What if they come while we’re all asleep?”

 

“I’ll stay up. Try to get some sleep, Henry.”

 

As exhausted as Emma was, she was far too anxious to fall asleep and had no trouble keeping her promise for almost the whole night. Sentry duty was far easier when you were hypervigilant because two children’s lives were at stake. She fell asleep only as the sky began to lighten.

 

When she woke up a short time later the baby was gone from her lap.

 

* * *

 

Emma jolted awake with a start, as if she’d had a nightmare. But she hadn’t been in a deep enough sleep to be dreaming. The real nightmare was what had happened last night and then everything came flooding back. The portal, her parents, her sister, the attack... She sighed and rubbed her eyes.

 

Her arm muscles and legs were stiff and it hurt to move. She shifted herself and realised that her jeans felt uncomfortable for some reason. They were wet on the front and down one side. Why was she-

 

“Anna!” she gasped, suddenly remembering. There was a second where her heart stopped (probably shortening her life span by a day) before she saw the little girl standing right next to her. Anna’s chin was wobbling and she looked pitifully sad, staring at her soundlessly with big teary eyes. Emma was relieved to see her sister safe, she surmised what’d happened and leaned over to brush her hand over the blonde curls.

 

“It’s ok, Anna,” she whispered. “Nevermind. These things happen.”

 

During the night when the woods had turned near-silent Emma had heard the quiet sound of a stream running nearby. She woke Henry and got him to carry her other clothes and Anna’s purple plush toy so that they could go in search of water. It turned out to be not very far away and right in their path. In fact, if they hadn’t stopped to sleep and kept running in the dark instead, they would’ve charged sightlessly into the water.

 

Emma cupped her hand for Anna to drink from and then she and Henry took their fill. She reminded him to drink up in preparation for a long day of walking since they couldn’t be sure to find water again so easily.

 

She noticed Anna squirming uncomfortably so Emma removed the toddler’s wet underwear and swished it around in the stream. She told Anna to hold her dress up and then used handfuls of water to give her lower body a wash. Going around all day with wee on her skin would’ve been very irritating for the baby and it wasn’t like Emma could pop into a nearby pharmacy to pickup diaper rash cream. She peeled off her own tanktop and and used that as a towel.

 

“There,” said Emma. “That feels better doesn’t it? All fresh.”

 

“All fesh,” repeated Anna.

 

When Emma went to wrap the shirt around Anna’s bottom as a makeshift diaper the little girl shook her head ‘No!’ Children could be very proud of their new-found independence and the last thing she wanted to do was take anything away from her or shame her for an accident.

 

“Ok. Does Mommy put you in big girl pants in the day and diapers at night?” asked Emma.

 

Anna nodded seriously.

 

“You are a big girl, aren’t you. Well, you can’t put the wetties back on for a while. So you’ll have to free-breeze it. Let me know when you need to go potty. There’s a good girl.”

 

It would be a warm enough day by the looks of it so Emma put her shirt back on and tucked the wet cloth into her back pocket. She saw Henry coming back from downstream with something hidden in his hands.

 

“Hey Anna, look what I found,” said Henry.

 

Emma narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “What are you holding, kid?”

 

Henry bent down and opened his hands carefully to show Anna. “See, it’s a frog. Frogs go ‘ribbit ribbit’ and they like lily pads. Can you say frog?”

 

“Fog,” said Anna in a tone of wonder. She pointed at the green-skinned amphibian. “My fog?”

 

“I found it under the rocks over there near a pond. Isn’t that cool?”

 

“Cool. My fog.”

 

Emma got up and decided it was time to leave. “Henry, release the frog and gather our things. We have to get moving.”

 

“Aw, Mom, can’t we keep it.”

 

“Not unless we can eat it for breakfast. This isn’t the time to be adopting random wildlife as pets. Who knows, in this place that frog might be a prince in disguise. Let it go.”

 

“I want fog!” Anna shouted.

 

“Woah.” Emma was taken aback by the outburst. “Okaaay, I guess the frog’s coming with us. Henry, please try to lose that thing the next time she falls asleep. Maybe she’ll forget about it.”

 

Anna pouted grumpily when Emma picked her up and settled her on her hip. “Fog.”

 

* * *

 

The sun was blazing hot and by now the tallest turrets of the Summer Palace were barely visible through the gaps in the rock faces far behind them. The stream meandered away into the forest and then toward their path multiple times as though it knew they would require water every few hours.

 

It was too tiring to run since none of them had eaten since the previous day and they needed to conserve energy. Henry didn’t mention his grumbling stomach for a while but Anna was hungry and she began to fuss and ask for her mother. Emma carried her until she cried herself into a fitful nap. She and Henry discussed their food situation in a joking way only, wondering whether Katniss Everdeen was around to catch them something to eat.

 

Emma was very worried and hiding it from the kids so they wouldn’t be alarmed. They could survive on water for days as long as they followed that stream, and as a strong adult she could probably last for a while without food. But the children couldn’t.

 

Emma had found and lost her parents in the one day. It hurt so much and that surprised her because she had only interacted with them for a few hours. She was an orphan again and so was her little sister. She’d never forgive herself for being jealous of her sibling or for arguing with her parents and wasting the short time they had together. The last thing her mother said to her was “take care of the children” and she’d be damned if she didn’t fulfill that last wish.

 

Anna woke a while later and demanded: “I want down now”. She toddled along slowly beside them, getting distracted by flowers or rocks as happily as though they were on a walk in the park. Even though they made slow progress, Emma figured it was the least of two evils to let her walk by herself for a while rather than carry her as she was screaming bloody murder. It took all of her motherly skills to keep Anna entertained, she made silly talk and swung the girl around by the arms and sang songs. Henry snickered at her when she forgot the words to some of the nursery rhymes so they turned it into a competition of inventing new ones.

 

Eventually even Henry needed to feel like his complaints were being heard.

 

“It’s hot,” said Henry, scuffing his feet in the scrub. “I’m tired. I’m hungry. How much longer?”

 

“I dunno, kid. You’re doing great, thanks for putting up a brave front with all of this. It’s probably not too far from here. How big can this place possibly be?”

 

“If it turns out that we’re in the Infinite Forest? Pretty big I’d say.”

 

Emma sighed. “We are not in the Infinite Forest.”

 

“How do you know.”

 

“Because that would suck. So you better hope we’re not.”

 

“We don’t even know if we’re heading in the right direction. If we keep walking aimlessly like this how are we supposed to find Mom’s castle? We don’t even know where it is. We don’t even know where we are.”

 

“Your grandpa said to head away from the west.”

 

“Great!” said the smartass kid. “That narrows our search area to the north, the south, and the east.”

 

“Give me a break ok? I have this feeling that we’re heading the right way. Have you ever known me to be wrong about directions? Wait - don’t answer that. If you’re going to bring up that wrong turn at Albuquerque, that was on purpose. It was supposed to be funny.”

 

“You weren’t laughing when that cop pulled you over.”

 

“Yeah, don’t mention that when we find Regina ok. I don’t want her to start thinking I’m a reckless mother. You said she’s kinda strict huh. Will you tell me about her?”

 

_I want to know everything…_ Emma thought, then warned herself against falling for someone she’d never even met. She smiled at what she heard though and everything he said seemed to confirm things she’d forgotten she’d known, as if her heart was saying: “Yes, that’s right isn’t it. Regina hated surprises.” She listened to anecdote after anecdote about Regina’s life and personality through the coloured lens of her son’s perceptions. Her mind was creating a person based on what she’d heard and filling in the blanks on its own. Emma began to hope that her mental “fantasy” version wasn’t too far from the real thing. Like when you had a crush on someone you barely knew and then talked to them for the first time and realised they actually weren’t like the picture in your mind.

 

Picture?

 

She’d totally forgotten about that! Emma slipped her hand into the back pocket of her jeans (not the one with Anna’s nearly-dry underpants) and pulled out the photo she found early yesterday when packing the suitcase. She was shocked to see that there were _three_ people in it now. A third person had appeared as if by magic.

 

A brunette woman, strikingly beautiful though not smiling much, was next to Emma with her hand laying protectively on Henry’s shoulder. She looked kinda familiar...

 

“Kid!” Emma patted his shoulder and showed him the photo. “Who is this?”

 

Henry’s eyes went wide. “Where did you get that?”

 

“Your Mom,” said Emma. “I think. She brought it when she came to Phoenix.”

 

“But that was only in your memory, Emma! It wasn’t real. This photo only existed in Storybrooke. That’s my other mom, it’s Regina! It was taken at the dinner party the day after she saved you from coming through the portal. I asked Mary Margaret to take the picture because I didn’t have any with both of you. Mom was kinda sad that night because you didn’t talk to her much.”

 

“I didn’t know what to say!” Emma blurted out. Then she frowned and realised what she said. “I mean - I don’t know, maybe I didn’t notice? Shit, did I really ignore her the day after she saved my life? I probably wanted to talk to her but I was procrastinating about it. Did I usually get along with her?”

 

“Not really.”

 

“So what you’ve been telling me is that your mom and I don’t get on well, we have different temperaments, we have nothing in common except you… and it’s possible that she hates my guts.”

 

“Pretty much.”

 

“So do you think… do I even have a chance with her? Would you mind if I asked her out? Provided she’s not uh, already taken I guess.”

 

“Mom doesn’t really pay attention to anyone she couldn’t care less about. But you, Emma? You make her really, really angry,” said Henry, grinning his head off.

 

Emma reached over and messed up his hair and gave him a shove with her hip.

 

The smile dropped off her face when she realised that a chattery little toddler hadn’t made any noise in a while. She wasn’t walking beside them either. Emma knew from experience never to trust a quiet child. When they were quiet it could only mean mischief… or danger.

 

“Where’s Anna?” said Emma anxiously, checking behind them and beyond the trees to the left and to the right.

 

“Don’t panic. She’s just up ahead,” said Henry. He pointed to the toddler who was sitting on her haunches poking her finger in the dirt.

 

“Anna? Don’t go too far!” Emma called. She picked up a jogging pace. “Come on, we better catch up to her.”

 

Anna took another couple of steps away and immediately began shrieking and stamping her bare feet. “Cold! It’s cold. It hurts. My feet cold. Mommy!”

 

Emma didn’t have time to process why the girl would be frightened or have cold feet when she was standing in gravelly dirt under a hot sun. She reached her at a sprint and scooped her up. Then stopped. She couldn’t believe her eyes.

 

“Mom, what happened?” Henry said in awe.

 

Now that Anna was off the ground she was quiet and curious. “Cold? What that.”

 

It felt like they’d run into a refrigerated room. The temperature had dropped by at least 50 degrees and the air was cool on their sweaty clothes and skin. That wasn’t the only change to their surroundings, the forest was now completely obscured by a white blanket. Ice and snow had collected on every bare tree branch and the ground underfoot was covered with it.

 

“I- I have no idea. Why is there snow?” said Emma, confused. She turned around expecting to see the dry hot scrub they’d just come from but instead all she could see was white in all directions. Even the sky above was cloudy white and dull.

 

“Snow,” Anna announced. “My snow.”

 

Emma gave her a little smile and rubbed the toddler’s feet. “Yeah, sweetie. It’s your snow. I guess we’ve left the Summer forest and this is the Winter forest.”

 

Henry gasped. “Mom’s castle is called the _Winter_ castle. What if we’re really close, Emma?”

 

“Then we’ll see your mom as soon as possible. Can you hold Anna for a sec, please?”

 

Emma passed her sister to Henry and sat down in the snow to pull off her boots and remove her socks. She slid the socks onto Anna’s chubby little legs as if they were thick woollen stockings. Then she put her sweater over Anna’s head, it swam on her of course and hung down past her knees. At least she’d be warmer than she would be in just her light sundress. Emma rolled up the sleeves multiple times and the little girl started giggling and flapping her arms.

 

“What’s with the giggles huh,” Emma smiled. “Oh I know, it looks better on you than it does on me, is that what you’re trying to tell me? You’re looking so fashionable, little princess. Are you nice and warm now, wrapped up like a bug in a rug?”

 

Anna nodded. “My b’ankie. Time for nap? I want pig, p’ease.”

 

Emma stood to put on her boots, then took the baby from Henry and set her on her hip. “Hand me that purple pig thing of Anna’s? Thanks, kid. Put my jacket on so we can get moving again. We don’t want to stay out in the cold too long.”

 

Henry frowned and looked down at the red leather jacket in his hand. “You should put it on. You’re only wearing that sleeveless shirt. You’ll freeze.”

 

“Henry,” said Emma sharply. “I don’t care if it’s uncool to wear your mom’s clothes. Put it on. Now.”

 

“But Mom-”

 

“No buts, Henry. Stop arguing. You are this close to losing internet privileges when we get back home.”

 

The boy gave her a knowing look that said he knew exactly what she was up to. He sighed and slid his arms into the leather sleeves. It wasn’t so much the specific nature of the threat, but rather it was his mother’s serious tone that made him obey. It was obvious that he wasn’t happy about it though.

 

* * *

 

The snow was deeper now and their boots sank an inch or two with every step. The air was chill but at least there was no snow falling at the moment.

 

“Mom, are you getting cold yet?” said Henry. “Why don’t you wear the jacket for a little while, we can take turns.”

 

“I’m fine.” Emma gritted her teeth. She had to avoid talking too much. Her jaw was stiff and she knew her chattering teeth would betray her. Her back muscles ached from tensing against the cold for so long. The only thing keeping her warm was the little bundle cuddled up and sleeping in her arms.

 

“Are you sure, Mom?” Henry pleaded with her.

 

“Yes. Don’t worry. Everything will be ok.”

 

“Really?” said the boy flatly. “How could anyone say this situation is even approaching ‘ok’. We are lost in the freezing cold. We still have no food. We don’t know where we’re going...”

 

“Shh,” Emma whispered. “Don’t wake her. Henry, I’m sorry. I’m doing everything I can think of right now to protect you guys.”

 

Henry glared and said in a low voice. “You’re lying. If you were doing everything you could do, you’d have put the jacket on already. What do you think is going to happen to us if you die of hypothermia.”

 

“Nobody is going to die, ok? We’re getting out this, I promise.”

 

“You know why this heroic quest sucks?” said Henry, somewhat rhetorically. “I used to like reading adventure stories and fairytales because they were always so exciting and you just knew that everything would be ok in the end. The bad guys got punished and the prince and princess got together and lived happily ever after. That’s how stories end. Real life isn’t like that. But _this_ sucks because we are in a Fairytale Land but we don’t know that’s going to happen. There might not be a happy ending in our story. We’re probably going to die out here and no-one will even know.”

 

Emma sighed. “Henry. Please.”

 

“I wish Mom were here.”

 

“I know. Me too.” Emma smiled. “She’d probably blast the shit out of this place and figure everything out in two seconds huh. Maybe she’ll ride past in her warm carriage and pick us up.”

 

“Maybe it’ll rain hot chocolate and cinnamon.”

 

“It could happen,” she teased. “Hey, your mom told me something important a long time ago, kid. We can’t lose hope. Once you’ve lost that you’ve lost everything. It’s the thing that makes us take each step, and the next one.”

 

“I think I just stepped in deer poop.” Henry grinned lopsidedly at her. He was trying to poke fun at her optimism, even though he was clearly less despondent than before.

 

It was barely another hour before they caught sight of some lights or fires up ahead. As they got closer they saw that it wasn’t a settlement but something more transient like a gypsy camp. Henry became excited, assuming that they were saved. Surely they could get food and clothing and directions here.

 

Emma made sure to tuck the telltale blonde curls into the back of Anna’s sweater, just in case anyone recognised the missing princess. Then she handed the sleeping bundle to Henry and listed her instructions.

 

“Go around the long way and wait for me on the other side. Stay hidden. If Anna wakes up, keep her in your sight at all times. Do not come after me for any reason. I mean it, kid. I’ll be back real soon ok.”

 

* * *

 

Emma walked through the middle of the camp, fully aware that she stuck out as an outsider. There were makeshift shelters and stalls with basic wares. Every person she saw looked wizened and downtrodden and beaten to shit by life. She on the other hand had clear skin unmarred by windwhip or sores, shiny white teeth (a full set), and strange bright clean clothes unsuitable for the weather. There was no way she could pass for one of them.

 

The stench of disease and poverty pervaded her senses. She glanced left and right, trying to catch a sympathetic eye, but none of them would look at her. They had her pegged as a noble of some sort. She didn’t exist to them.

 

In the middle of the most crowded section there was a rough tent that looked larger and more prosperous than any other. There was a table full of food and goods at the front and a sign announcing that they were “for sell”. She opened the flap of the tent to see a man sitting in the chair with his foot on his lap. He was using a knife to pick at the dark grime underneath his fingernails.

 

Then he licked the knife. Ew.

 

“Uh, excuse me? Are you selling this food?” she asked.

 

No answer. The merchant was a large barrel-chested man with coarse dark hair and beard and a face marred by scar lines. He was dirty and wearing rough clothes in the same dirty browns and greys that the others wore. He didn’t even look up at her.

 

Emma tried again. “I’m willing to trade for the food. Please, I have starving children.”

 

“How many,” the man grunted.

 

“Two.”

 

“Then you got three less than most o’ the filthy wenches round here. I don’t gid them nothing for they kidden either. If they old enough, sent them to the war. Or sell as slaves. I know people. How much you want for them?”

 

Emma gritted her teeth. “Not interested in selling, I’m here to buy. I just want food.”

 

The man stood up slowly and revealed his full height. He was huge. He took a step towards her and Emma kept her ground. He looked her over, assessing her apparent health and wealth. She glanced behind her and felt another presence, a man. Apparently there would be no escape from this transaction now.

 

“You wanna trade?” he said, his voice gravelly and deep. “Empty your pockets.”

 

Emma held out her circle necklace from under her shirt instead. “I’ll give you this for food. It’s real gold jewelry. It’s worth way more than everything you have there.”

 

“That so? What I do with gold when there be no-one around who afford buying that? It worth nothing. What else? Pockets now.”

 

But the last order wasn’t for her. The man behind Emma shoved her in the back and pulled everything out of the pockets in her jeans. He laid the items on the table: one bobby pin, a hair elastic, Anna’s underpants, the photo of her and Regina with their son, a crumpled subway ticket, and a nickel.

 

The merchant pointed to the little white frilled pants and asked, “These you? Or child.”

 

Emma refused to answer, but it made no difference. He picked them up and it was clear they were tiny and belonged to a young child. What he did next terrified her. He raised the cloth to his face and smelled them.

 

“One hour with child. Then you gid all food you want.”

 

“She’s not for sale, you sick fuck! You’re not getting anywhere near her.”

 

The horrible man guffawed and signalled to the one behind her, who gripped Emma’s arms tightly to her sides. The merchant turned serious and held the knife in front of her face. In the flash of a second Emma felt her throat being choked in his enormous hand and smelled his rancid breath. He looked her in the eyes.

 

Emma couldn’t gasp but she flinched when he sliced the skin of her upper arm in two strokes making an X shape. The pain seared in her throbbing skin, she knew it was the blood cells racing to attend the site of the injury. Her chest was screaming for air.

 

“No-one else trade now,” he chuckled, releasing her bruised throat. “I keep baby cloth. You, bread and apple. Sell over and paid.”

 

As he disappeared into the back part of the covered tent she saw him rubbing his prize against his crotch. Emma coughed. She felt sick at the thought of anything belonging to Anna being used in that way. The man behind her released her.

 

Emma grabbed the quarter loaf of bread and the apple from the table. She was shaking with a mixture of adrenaline and anger. She turned to leave the tent but the other man was still there, barring her exit with his body.

 

“Let me pass. I paid for this,” she said, glaring at him.

 

He shook his head. Her reflexes responded quickly but it wasn’t enough. He reached out and stabbed at her middle as she ducked past him. Whatever the weapon was it wasn’t sharp enough to be a knife and she cried out.

 

Emma fell into the open barely catching her feet and she almost lost hold of her haul. The apple tumbled to the ground and several nearby children swarmed upon it.

 

“That’s mine,” she yelled at them, and ripped it out of a grubby pair of hands. By this stage she couldn’t feel guilty taking food from a starving urchin, this was survival and it was a choice between her children and someone else’s. Perhaps she was wrong in that, but as she bolted out of the camp with the food all she could think of was getting to Anna.

 

* * *

 

The baby was screaming. She alternated between wailing and calling for Mommy in a hoarse voice. Henry struggled to keep a grip on the wriggling girl and soothe her but nothing was working. She had woken up frightened and hungry.

 

“Mommeeeee!” She gasped and big fat tears rolled down her cheeks.

 

“Do you want a story, Anna?” said Henry. “Do you want to see the frog? Emma will be back soon with food.”

 

Quick footsteps nearby announced Emma’s return seconds before they saw her. She was out of breath and carrying bread and an apple. There was blood curling around one of her arms in red snake trails and another bloodstain on the side of her shirt. The bruises that would form on her neck from the chokehold weren’t visible yet.

 

“Mom? What happened,” said Henry.

 

“Ran into,” Emma panted. “A nail sticking out of a post. Is Anna hurt? What’s wrong.”

 

They swapped what they were holding. Emma cradled her little sister, murmuring to her and rocking her from side to side. Anna’s whimpers died down into soft sobs.

 

“Mommeee. I want Mommy. Want Daddy. Time for bye-byes? Go home now, p’ease. I want home.”

 

“Shh, it’s ok,” soothed Emma. “Do you want something to eat?”

 

Henry tore a third off the bread and gave it to Emma so that she could hold it near Anna’s mouth. The toddler stopped crying and gummed slowly on the bread. She still had wet lashes and red cheeks. A little smile appeared.

 

“T’ank you,” said Anna.

 

“You are very welcome,” Emma whispered back. She sighed at the beautiful little face of her sister and her sweet babycurls, hoping that one day she’d be able to forget the merchant’s disgusting offer. Most likely the rage would never fade.

 

“Butter?”

 

Emma laughed and so did Henry. “Aw, sorry, sweetie. I couldn’t get any butter.”

 

Emma held the bread for Anna and told Henry to eat the rest of the loaf as well as the apple. He protested of course, but she maintained that she wasn’t hungry. Henry ate the bread and stared at the apple in his hand until Emma lost her patience and snapped that he shouldn’t be picky about fairytale allusions when they were starving. It wasn’t that though -- the red apple reminded him of Regina.

 

“You should eat something too,” said Henry.

 

“I told you - I’m not hungry,” she said stubbornly.

 

Henry’s voice trembled. “You’re going to let yourself get sick for our sake. You didn’t sleep at all, you’re freezing, you’re starving hungry. You think you’re strong but you can’t hide it from me! I know you’re injured and it’s not just your arm. Emma, how bad is it?”

 

“Kinda bad.” Emma swallowed hard. “But I’ll be ok. It’s just a flesh wound and I’ll eat at the next place I promise.”

 

Anna made a pout. “Emma sad want Mommy too? It hurts. Kiss it better. All better.”

 

Henry put his arms around them both for a hug. Emma felt like crying too, all she wanted was to get out of this horrible place. How did life end up like this? Her parents had asked one thing of her and she was failing at that. The _only_ thing they’d ever asked of her. She was lost with two kids in the middle of nowhere in some medieval shithole and she was probably going to die of an infection in her wounds. Maybe she should’ve saved some of the bread and tried to re-invent penicillin.

 

Henry leaned back and frowned. He looked down at his shirt pocket and reached in to free the wriggling frog.

 

“He’wo fog,” said Anna happily. “Want to p’ay game?”

 

As soon as the frog hit the snow there was cloud of dusty red smoke and a figure appeared in its place.


	5. Chapter 5

_Storybrooke, one year ago_

For Regina, there was only one thing different about  _this_  celebratory dinner party at Granny's...

She and the rest of Operation Henry had landed in Storybrooke by pirate ship that afternoon and as they'd disembarked a scene of happy reunions ensued. Friends and family embraced their loved ones and the newcomers were welcomed.

It hadn't escaped Regina's notice that no-one was waiting for her. It could've been attributed to the whole "evil past" thing had not there been someone waiting for even that treacherous imp Gold. Apparently  _some_  villains get happy endings. Henry was off somewhere with his other mother, just the two of them, thick as thieves as usual.

Of course Mary Margaret noticed Regina was alone and drew everybody's attention to it. Nice of them all to finally realise that the only reason they were back alive was due to her though.

At the party that night Regina avoided Neal, Hook, and the Charmings (having seen and heard more about them in Neverland than she'd ever wanted to know). Most people ignored her and for some time she sat at the counter with a drink, trying not to look like she was alone. The only person she wanted to come up to her seemed to have forgotten she existed. The one chance she'd had to talk to Emma since returning to Storybrooke was a quick word at the docks.

Yet again Emma Swan had invited her to a party and then ignored her. Regina knew where she was the entire time (sitting with Henry) though she would've denied keeping an eye on the other woman. It irritated her, everyone assumed that Henry was Emma's now and that she'd likely have to ask permission to see him. Or put up with only seeing him when Emma was around as well. As if they were divorced spouses and she was the deadbeat parent who couldn't be trusted.

When faced with protecting their son, Emma had taken her side over Mary Margaret's and had let Regina use dark magic in Neverland. That was the former Evil Queen's role in the gang after all, she was the heat. For Regina performing dark magic yet again would be just another drop in the ocean of her evil deeds, but Emma's heart was still undarkened.

During the magic lessons in Neverland, Emma (and her parents) were no doubt worried that the student would follow in the teacher's footsteps. Regina had taught her to summon strong emotions such as anger in order to use magic. She would never admit it, but Emma was a fair student and her only setback was being afraid of going dark.

_"Regina," Emma whispered seriously, at night in the jungle. "I need you to teach me but is there a way without going dark? I don't want -"_

_"To end up like me?" finished Regina. "You won't. Magic itself is neither dark nor light, it's how you use it that matters. Don't murder anyone and you'll be fine."_

_Emma raised an eyebrow. "So it's a case of 'Do as I say, not as I do"?_

There was a time long ago when she'd expressed essentially the same concern to her own master.

Regina was impressed that in the end Emma was willing to do whatever it took to get Henry back, regardless of moral lines, as that was her attitude as well. She began to wish that that version of Emma was still around but apparently she didn't exist back in the real world.

It was getting late. Emma still hadn't talked to her and though Regina knew it was way past Henry's bedtime she resisted going over to remind Emma of her parental duties. Why did she not come over to her though? Her suitors and parents were annoyingly present so perhaps Emma didn't want to pay attention to her in front of them and was using Henry as a buffer.

Regina was disappointed. She didn't want to examine why too closely though.

If not for Tinkerbelle she might've gone the whole night without saying a single word to anyone. Thereby saving this dinner from being as torturous as the last one. Seeing one friendly face had made all the difference.

Regina turned her head to watch Henry and Emma, not caring at this point if she was obvious about it.

"Sorry, kid," she heard Emma say behind her. "It's time for something you didn't have in Neverland. Bedtime."

_Finally, Emma!_  thought Regina with some exasperation.  _It's nearly midnight, you're going to have one grumpy child on your hands tomorrow._

Regina got up quickly and passed them like she was heading towards Tink. They wouldn't be able to leave without going by her. She was there just at the right moment to see Emma and Henry side-by-side getting ready to leave.  _Don't look at her, look at Henry. Ignore her as she deserves._

"Oh, let's say goodnight to Regina," said Emma.

"Goodnight?" Regina faked surprise and glanced at the clock. "I didn't realise it was getting so late..."

Later, on the way home in the car Regina glanced at her son in the passenger seat and smiled. Knowing that Henry still turned to her instead of his favourite playmate gratified her motherly feelings. His wanting to go home with her would've been enough, but getting it at the expense of Emma Swan?

Priceless.

* * *

_Fairytale Land, Winter Castle_

Regina was sitting at her dressing table in her old room in the castle where she'd spent so many years in exile. Everything was spotless now but she had been told that in her absence the castle had fallen into disrepair. After they returned to the land, Snow White had ordered for the castle to be cleaned and maintained while its Queen was sleeping.

She couldn't stop thinking over what had happened since waking from her Sleeping Curse. For the first time she had experienced being under a curse herself and would think twice before inflicting that punishment on another again. She'd spent a long time in that fiery room. Her mind tortured her more than the flames did by the remembrance that Henry had been there too. The thought of her son spending even a minute there was too much to bear. As was the reminder that it had been she who had poisoned him. "Unintentionally" was of no comfort.

Regina chose to be cursed willingly. For Henry. He had been brave enough to return to that nightmare himself, and she could be too. Regina went under the Sleeping Curse in order to magically implant a memory in Henry's birth mother's mind. So that the teenage Emma Swan would feel hopeful and resilient enough to raise him and give him a good life. So that their son wouldn't grow up alone. Regina had done it in the full knowledge that she may never wake up.

_I did it for Henry. I did it for my son and no-one else. Emma's wellbeing means nothing to me, or at least it should not. I cannot care for her that way. If I'd never woken up I would never have had to face these feelings that I do not know how to feel._

Then why couldn't she shake the idea that the wrong person had woken her?

Robin had left the castle after an argument, their first difference of opinion had reared swiftly. He expected her to accompany him into the forest where he lived and worked for the poor with his band of Merry Men. Regina had laughed, assuming he wasn't serious. Did anything about her say 'I'm a camping-in-the-woods sort of girl'? Besides, she had Royal duties to resume and at the moment the realm could use all the protection it could get. Did he really expect her to leave that in order to take up with a band of thieves who routinely robbed people like her? But Robin took it to mean that she derided his life's mission and wasn't prepared to follow him. He would be back at a later time he'd said and then left.

She was needed here, and although many were wary of the former Evil Queen at first, some of the people who had lived in Storybrooke voiced their support and convinced the others that she had changed. It felt gratifying and almost… good. It gave her something to do to take her mind off her pain and the ones she'd lost. Regina didn't want to have to give that up, as she would have to do after marrying Robin. She couldn't be both Queen and Outlaw.

It had been Tinkerbelle who found Robin and brought him to wake the sleeping Queen. Her plan had worked. Robin had assumed that they would be getting married after that and Regina had yet to tell him the truth.

Perhaps Robin didn't know who she really was. All Tinkerbelle had told him was the pixie dust story and that Regina was a Queen. She'd left out the part about being evil and the whole torture-and-murder thing. Most people would consider that something of a dealbreaker. So Regina simply hadn't told him about her magical past or casting the dark curse. He was her chance at being happy and though she had resigned herself to knowing that it could never eventuate, she hadn't wanted to  _know_  that she'd irrevocably lost that chance. She didn't want to see the disgust in his face. The rejection would sting.

_If my True Love cannot put aside my past who else could truly love me?_

Tinkerbelle flopped on to the bed and beamed. "So when will we be hearing wedding bells, Your Majesty? This is going to be brilliant for you, Regina, and it's sure to be the start of happy times. Apart from the fact that the entire realm is under attack from a certain someone… Anyway, what the people really need during wartime is an example of hope and what is a wedding if not that?"

"I won't be getting married," said Regina quietly.

Tink sat up shocked. "What? Why. I don't understand. Robin woke you with True Love's Kiss! He has announced the engagement already."

"I cannot marry him."

"Regina!" Tink said frustratedly. "You are doing exactly what you always do. Stop running away from happiness. This is your chance! Well, actually, it's your second or third chance but who's counting. Don't let this one go to waste too."

"Please. I'm aware that this is my last chance. If he's my soulmate then why don't I feel differently? It should feel like falling in love but… I'm feeling  _nothing_. You told me he was my perfect match."

"Yes. That's what the pixie dust led to. My spell was not wrong, so don't bother suggesting that again."

"Robin still loves his wife. He says he may never be able to love another woman that much. He wants to marry me and he is glad that his son will have a mother again. How can that be my perfect match?"

"But it is perfect don't you see? You've both lost a love. You can have a family again with this man and his little boy. Give it some time."

"I don't want a replacement son!" Regina snapped. "I want Henry back. I have to believe that I'll see him again one day."

Tink's smile was only sadness. "But you might wait forever for something that never comes..."

"Then so be it. What I do not want," said Regina evenly. "Is to play babysitter to my husband's child again, always in the shadow of his deceased wife and trying to live up to something I can never be. It's already started! All Robin talks of is how wonderful she was:  _'Marian used to live in the woods with me, Marian loved the outdoors, Marian would never hurt a fly_ '...

"I on the other hand hate the outdoors and I've killed bigger things than flies for nothing more than the hell of it. I cannot stand being constantly compared to a paragon of goodness. You know what my first marriage was like."

"You don't know that marriage to Robin will be anything like that. He may come to love you in time."

"But I don't  _want_  that life! I am not going to sacrifice my freedom to marry someone on the possibility that one day things will be better. What kind of premise is that? I don't love him and... I don't think I ever will."

"Regina, I've seen how dark your heart is, but you are capable of giving and receiving love you know."

"That's not why. It's-" Regina cut herself off and averted her eyes from the mirror. She grabbed under her long dark hair and tossed it behind her with frustration. She shifted forward when her hair became caught between her back and the chair. She'd forgotten in Storybrooke how it had always annoyed her in the past, having to keep her hair as long as her mother wanted it to be. Maybe she should cut it.

_'But it's so pretty, darling,'_ said Cora's voice in her head. _"How are you to get a husband if you have short hair like a boy? No, you may not have permission to cut it.'_

Regina started picking up and replacing bottles of perfume and powders on her dressing table one at a time to give her hands something to focus on. Other than wringing them together.

Tink got up from the bed and came over to stand by her side. "We used to be friends. I'd like to think we're getting there again. You can tell me. Why do you think you can't love him?"

"How can Robin be my soulmate, Tink?" said Regina. "Years ago, when I was too afraid to take it, I missed my chance. What if that was our only chance to fall in love with each other and we both missed it? What if he  _was_  my perfect match then, but isn't now? He ended up falling for Lady Marian. They had a child together and judging by the way he still grieves for her they must've shared a deep lasting love. I… know what that is like. It happened to me too."

Tink bobbed down and peered into Regina's face as though the answer was written there. "Wait a minute, you're already in love?"

"I don't know."

"You must know! You have been in love before as a young girl. Does this feel like that?"

Regina winced and nodded. "Yes. It feels the same, although sometimes it's different. It aches."

"Who is it," said Tink excitedly. "Is it someone I know? Does he love you back? You must tell me, I can help you get together. I'm an excellent Wing Ma'am. Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"I have love for someone I shouldn't."

A knock at the door alerted Regina, rescuing her from having to confess the identity in her heart. She's said far too much already. The Queen stood and called the servant in, all the while ignoring the filthy side-eye Tink was giving her for getting out of answering.

"Your presence has been requested downstairs, Your Majesty," the servant said.

As Regina went to leave she paused at the door to give the him a steely glare. "Disturb me again in my private chambers and I'll cut your… " she gritted her teeth "wages."

She'd nearly pulled out one of her old threats and was about to say "throat" or "hamstrings" or "tongue". The servant apologised but there was no fear in him. It was so much harder to motivate them when mortal injury was off the table. Every time Regina was tempted she thought of Henry and the possibility that she'd see him again. If that happened she did not want him to find her having turned back to her old ways.

Her fingers were itching with magic and it was driving her crazy. Only her stubborn determination kept her in control.

* * *

Tinkerbelle checked inside Regina's chambers again wondering if her friend had returned from performing her queenly duties yet. There was much for Regina to do and she had been in consult for some time. The Winter Forest had been particularly hard-hit in the wake of the curse and many of the peasants were starving and homeless. As the Evil Queen Regina had not completely ignored their plight: she employed them at the castle, stocked her army of guards with them, and in so doing she created a prosperous economy by accident.

The ordinary man was concerned more with his breadbasket than the petty squabbles between a Princess and a Queen.

With time the region would return to its former state under the Queen's exacting eye and rule. That is, if they were ever to stop being attacked by an evil presence from another realm. Nobody even knew the agenda, except that whoever-it-was was looking for something. Or someone perhaps. So the rumours grew.

Tink was waiting impatiently. She was dying to know who Regina was in love with! She was sure the reticent woman had been about to tell her, possibly to her own regret. Tink wanted so much to help her. After the disastrous end to their first attempt at friendship she felt that they both were keen to make a fresh start. The fairy knew she had to be careful though. Regina may have changed but her fears had not. Pushing her to confess would not go well.

_But it is the only way I can help her! I have to know who it is that has won her heart._   _There must be a way to find it out. Why is she hiding it?_

Her friend had suffered much in life. She had been wronged in many ways, but she was self-destructive enough to make things worse for herself. Upon the precipice of happiness she baulked in fear every time like a skittish foal. Regina had admitted herself that she'd nearly lost her son because she'd given in to revenge yet again. It was almost as if she didn't know how strong love could be.

Tink had heard from Regina one time, when they were young and sat up all night talking, that her mother had always been somewhat critical of her. As she listened to a few anecdotes the fairy had gotten the picture and then decided that 'somewhat' was an understatement. Cora Mills had done a number on her daughter's head that was for sure.

The Queen's first marriage had slammed the door shut on her freedom and caused her to panic. Not the dizzying rush of a panic attack but a slow anxious climb that built itself up into a seething fury. One that kept itself quiet until the day it lashed out to destroy those who had wronged her.

Tink rolled over on the bed with a sigh. She thought she noticed a figure on the balcony through the filmy curtains but it was hard to tell. Then she heard a wet sniff like someone was crying and trying to keep quiet about it. Someone with a lot of practice at it.

Tink was off the bed like a shot and ran on tiptoes to the balcony. She batted the curtains aside and saw Regina standing at the railing with her hands curled around the edge.

"What are you doing," Tink asked warily.

Regina jumped visibly but she wiped her eyes before turning around. Her schooled expression and wet lashes didn't fool her concerned friend.

"Nothing."

"Forgive me for saying this, but you can't be trusted around balconies. I'm here as your friend, give me your hand and come away from the railing."

Regina rolled her eyes in irritation at the assumption, but she did take a few steps forward and then crossed her arms. "I wasn't doing anything."

"Except crying and staring at the depths below?"

"I wasn't going to do anything," Regina repeated with emphasis. "Then or now. If I wanted to end my miserable unhappiness I would have acted upon it some time ago. As you know."

Tink reached for one of Regina's hands and though the other woman resisted she managed to pull one free and gave it a comforting squeeze. The fairy realised that Regina really was unhappy about the idea of her impending marriage, it should have been a new chance for her. A clean slate. But perhaps that wasn't possible and she knew it.

For the second time Regina was facing a walk down the aisle toward one while holding love in her heart for another.

"I'm sorry I upset you earlier," said Tink. "Saying all of that about Robin. When will you tell him that you don't intend to marry?"

"I'm trying to avoid that confrontation."

"You can't put it off forever. Are you waiting to see if this other guy will have you first? Playing it safe?"

Regina shook her hand away with a derisive frown and headed back inside. She batted the filmy curtains aside and went to sit on her bed. Tink followed and sat beside her. But Regina only stared at her hands in her lap.

"That is exactly why this is hard" said Regina. "I'm giving up Robin when there is absolutely no expectation of my being able to be with … someone else who almost certainly won't have me."

"Are you sure this other guy doesn't love you back?" Tink was confused. "Can't you ask him? You didn't fall for a married man did you? Or that David fella? Because if that's the case you've got a fight on your hands with Mary Margaret. Er, another fight."

"No, not him," said Regina crossly. "Are you trying to goad me into telling you against my will?"

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. But I wish you would. You look terribly distressed."

"I think I want to tell you, but I'm afraid of your reaction."

A tear fell down Regina's cheek and she swiped it away impatiently. "The things my mother would say if she knew the truth…"

"You're not an eighteen-year-old girl anymore. Your mother is gone! She can no longer stop you from doing anything. If you don't want to get married at all, then don't. It's your life. It's time you learnt to live it for yourself. Be free."

"But her voice is still in my head. It never goes away."

Tink grabbed both Regina's hands and pleaded with her. "Then ignore it and listen to your own instead. Or listen to me, since I'm clearly the brains of this operation."

Regina paused and didn't talk for a long time, but she didn't get up to leave and she didn't order her to get out either. So Tink sat there quietly (with only the appearance of patience) and waited for her friend to gather her thoughts and possibly her courage. Regina was probably still hedging whether to expose her secret, whatever it was, and it made Tink wonder why.

"It's - it's Emma Swan."

Tink gaped, completely taken aback. " _Oh_... I didn't… That's wholly unexpected …  _Emma?_... "

Regina didn't elaborate, apparently waiting for her to recover from the shock. But she must've been uneasy waiting for it. She obviously hadn't confessed it to a single soul before. It was a surprise to Tink though, she hadn't expected to hear a woman's name and certainly not that particular one.

When Regina tried to pull her hands away Tink wouldn't allow it. A smile spread over the fairy's face. "I think that's wonderful. You're in love with your son's mother! She's the one. Now I see."

"Now you see what?"

"Never mind," sang Tink happily. "It's all beginning to make perfect sense to me now."

"It is hardly perfect between us. We've fought from the first moment we met."

"Since when has that ever stopped two people from falling in love? In fact, it's practically a cliche."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Have I ever told you how truly irritating Emma Swan is? First she came to my town and turned it into complete disarray. She attacked my apple tree with a chainsaw for no apparent reason and took any opportunity thereafter to make my life difficult. Every time I turned by back she was there, undermining me in front of my son.

"After the curse broke she threatened to take Henry away, not that she needed to by that point he was so scared of me that I thought I'd lost him forever. She accused me of a murder I didn't commit, something which she still hasn't apologised for. This is the woman with whom I entrusted my son! She's probably feeding him Poptarts for breakfast.

"She has terrible posture, you should see the way she sits and slouches, and she wears the most ridiculous things on her head when it's cold. She is obsessed with trying to beat me and she can never let anything go. When we argue she gives me that smug knowing look that makes me want to set her on fire."

Tink raised an eyebrow at the conclusion of the rant. "This is someone you love, right? Sounds like she gets under your skin… and you like it."

"I do not like it," Regina denied it with a stubborn huff. "You think I wanted to feel anything but hatred for the daughter of my worst enemy? The one who was sent to destroy the life I created and for which I sacrificed dearly? If not for her I would still have my son. I ought to hate her for that alone."

"And yet you don't. You love her."

"I never used those words exactly."

Tink wasn't fooled by the technicality. "Does thinking of her run shivers over your skin? Do you look forward to seeing her and when you do you can feel your heart leap? You miss her while she's gone? The heart isn't always sensible, sometimes it gives itself away without our permission."

"How do you know what that's like, fairy," asked Regina suspiciously.

"Hey, that's a whole 'nother story. We're dealing with your disastrous lovelife today, not mine. Stop trying to change the subject. Why do you think you can't be with her?"

Regina laughed silently and glanced at the ceiling. "Where do I start? For one, her parents would never allow it and she doesn't go against them easily. It'd be incredibly complicated because we have our child to consider. Then there's the issue of her being stuck in another realm with no memory of anything that's happened between us."

"Spill!" said Tink, eager to hear some gossip from the woman who normally had none. "What's happened between you? I want details! Well, some details. Not too many."

"Nothing like that. We've never kissed. She told me something while we were in Neverland, she implied that she prefers women. She said she's attracted to me and expressed interest in getting together. I think it was merely a lapse in judgement for us both. Maybe she was joking."

"Are you sure? That seems a cruel joke."

"Perhaps she meant it at the time, but as soon as we got back to Storybrooke it was like we became ourselves again and the moment was lost. That's all over now. I've a hopeless cause unless Emma returns to this realm and somehow gets her memory back. Hook has been charged with bringing her back when it's time, but the plan might not succeed. I may see her again, but she won't remember me. Or anyone else, except Neal."

"I don't mean to bring up another problem when you're doing quite well identifying them all on your own… but Emma has several male suitors including Baelfire does she not?"

"It wouldn't matter if she had none, she still would not choose me. Emma won't choose me over them."

"But how do you know?"

"She's attracted to Hook. She still loves Neal, they created a child together. Emma may say she does not prefer to be with men these days, but those two won't take no for an answer and eventually one of them will win her over by persistence and with her parents' blessing."

"Sounds like you're focusing a lot on what could go wrong. Have you ever considered what could go right? She might fall for you this time."

"It doesn't matter," Regina said dismissively as if that were the final word. "The Emma I know is never coming back. At least, not to me."

Tink resisted continuing the argument since it would likely do no good in changing Regina's mind. Some of the points were valid, but nothing could be done about any of them until Emma's return. It saddened her that her friend's latest choice in love seemed to have such difficulty attached to it, enough to make Regina adamant that she would never get the happiness she craved.

_Maybe I'll have to resort to some matchmaking,_ Tink thought to herself, hiding a sneaky smile.

"You are too prone to being mopey, Regina," she said. "Let's do something fun. Preferably something your mother would've hated."

"That hardly narrows down the possibilities. She disapproved of everything I did."

Regina was uninterested at first but then an idea lit up her face, an expression usually reserved for when she was forming a new plan for harassing a certain princess and her prince.

"Tink? How are you with scissors?"

* * *

Later that evening an event happened that Regina felt she had been awaiting her whole life and until that exact moment she had always expected to feel elated. The fight of her life was over. If winning was determined by being the last one standing, then this was the end and she had won.

Over the years many people (both friend and foe) had said to her that revenge would not make her happy. As it turned out they were right. Whatever she was feeling right now it was not happiness. How strange that she should mourn the fall of her enemy.

The Queen was at table for the evening meal in the dining hall when the message arrived. A little blue bird flew in the window and dropped a note in her lap. After reading the short missive she was no longer able to eat another bite. The bird was still sitting on her shoulder and she was too engrossed to swat it away.

Tink expressed her curiosity over the note in her hand. "What is that, Regina. News?"

"It's from one of Snow's infernal bird messengers," said Regina, staring at the parchment. "I found out that the Charmings had already sent for Emma when I woke up this morning. They write now to say that it worked… I think this may mean that Emma and Henry have returned."

She passed the note over to Tink to read. All it said in a quick slash of ink was:

_The plan worked_

_But we're under attack_

_She is coming for you_

"Who is coming," said Tink. "Is it her?"

"Know anyone else who is currently terrorising the realm?" Regina said sardonically. "Let her come. We will soon see who has the more powerful magic. This place has known greater horrors than she can aspire to. But I doubt what she is looking for is actually here. She'd be better off visiting the lakes district to take recreation, for this will surely be a wasted trip otherwise. I hear the waters are beautiful."

"You know what she is seeking then?"

The corner of Regina's lip curled. "I know what she _thinks_ she is seeking. There's a difference."

Tink frowned. "What does the part about the 'attack' mean?"

"The Summer Palace has been attacked by flying monkeys in the past. This is probably another scare tactic. Snow loves to be dramatic. I'm sure she meant that the kingdom is generally under attack."

"You don't seem certain," Tink observed.

The Queen rose gracefully from the table and went over to the nearest mirror on the wall. The dining hall was lined with a multitude of reflective glasses, each of different size and shape and frame style. The overall effect was brilliant yet unnerving.

Regina's own reflection greeted her and she had to stop herself from running her hands through her newly shortened dark locks which fell below her chin. After a few seconds, the mirror clouded with smokey blue and the Genie's face appeared.

"How very modern of you, Your Majesty," said Sidney's voice. He was referring to her haircut, which would either cause a stir or an outrage among the fashion-savvy population of the kingdom. Dressed in her usual Queenly finery and sporting short hair would be an unusual juxtaposition here.

"Show me The Witch," ordered Regina.

"You know I cannot do that," said Sidney's voice. "Repeated asking will not get you anywhere."

Regina huffed with impatience. "Then show me the Summer Palace!"

The Genie's face faded and the clouds cleared to reveal a long shot of the Summer Palace, showing the old destruction of the footbridge and gate… and also its new injuries. The face of the battlements bore the pockmarks of several blasts. Soldiers were barely recognisable in their positions along the outer wall, at this distance they appeared to be tiny ants.

Had Hook really succeeded in bringing Emma and Henry back to Fairytale Land only for them to run into danger soon after? Could she handle seeing it if they had?

"I need to see..." Regina hesitated. "My son and his mother."

The castle picture remained, which could mean that they weren't here at all. Or that they were in a place where there was no light for the mirror to reflect.

_Please let them have escaped._   _Emma, surely you would have protected our son at all costs?_

Regina and Tink peered at the sky in the background. Dark flying shapes were visible in the sunset, circling like vultures. The next blast was a direct hit to the already weakened structure and suddenly the entire facade of the castle collapsed in a plume of dust.

Tink gasped. "No!"

"This is no scare tactic!" said Regina, alarmed. "Does she even know what she is doing? Sending out those deranged half-breed creatures is insanity, they cannot be counted on to follow orders. They've destroyed half the castle."

"What about Emma and Henry," said Tink. "Or Snow and Charming. Do you think they got out in time?"

"Those two idiots would have stayed and tried to fight, but I doubt they would have let their children and grandchild stay. It is likely they didn't survive if they were in the battlements when it collapsed. Snow always was stubborn to the point of recklessness, this time it may have gotten her killed. I always thought it would feel different somehow."

Regina said the last part to herself. Her arch nemeses were finally dead after all these years and it was an anti-climax to her bloody vendetta against them. They were her enemies, but they were also Emma's parents and Henry's grandparents. If for no other reason, she regretted that the people she cared about would be devastated by what had happened to their loved ones.

_If I won why does it feel like I lost?_

_It would be just like Snow to go and die of her own accord as soon as I stop actively trying to kill her!_

Regina called to the servant waiting upon her table and asked for the Commander of her Elite Guards to join her presence. The man she sent for appeared in under three minutes, which was impressive given how far away the barracks were. He wore pitch black leather armour gilded with silver branches across his broad chest with insignia declaring his loyalty to Winter. No weapons were visible, but one glance at his serious demeanor announced that he was deadly.

"Commander," Regina nodded to acknowledge him. "The Summer Palace is one of our family establishments with which we have strong personal connections. The castle has suffered a serious blow from a known threat to the realm. Which of the Elites is available?"

"Both divisions are ready, Your Majesty," the gruff military man said. "For your protection and service as always."

"Organise a rescue effort. Send the First Elites along with Rescue and Medical to the Summer Palace. Give aid to any other survivors, but your priority is to confirm immediately whether Snow White and all her family members are among the dead. Find them."

"Consider it done, Your Majesty."

"Oh, and Commander?" Regina paused. "If the princess is all alone and the Witch finds her first... I will crush your still-beating heart in my hand. Bring her to me at once."

He bowed and strode out, leaving Regina and Tink alone with the disturbing real-time image of destruction on the wall.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Visit 6**

_Storybrooke, a memory from the first year_

"Emma, why are we going inside," complained ten-year-old Henry. "I want to go play the games and get candy."

"In a minute," said Emma, as they went upstairs heading for the Town Hall offices. "You need to ask your Mom's permission first. Otherwise it won't be just you who gets in trouble when she finds out."

Henry sighed. " _You're_  my Mom. If you say it's ok then it's ok."

"Uh huh. Somehow I doubt Regina will see it that way."

Emma smiled to herself. Secretly she was enjoying not only stealing the title but also the screwing-over she was about to give. If Regina said no then she'd make herself out to be the bad guy, and if Regina said yes then Emma would get to spend time with Henry. As far as she was concerned it was a win-win situation. Annoying Regina had become her new favourite pastime. Usually there wasn't much to do in Storybrooke so Emma liked to think of it as the Mayor's own fault. But today there was actually something interesting to do.

It was time for yet another one of Storybrooke's many festivals, the Medieval Fayre, which had been set up on the expansive lawns in front of the Town Hall building. It consisted of the same stalls and vendors as there had been on Miner's Day but the decorations were different and many of the townspeople were in costume fitting the theme.

Of course Henry wanted to go. Emma thought it might be lame but seeing his eyes light up changed her mind completely. Kids had a different definition of what was lame. She loved spending time with her little buddy and unless she got salmonella from a corndog it'd be worthwhile going along with it.

Henry traced a familiar beeline through the halls once they were on the second floor of the Town Hall building. They knocked on the door and went in to the Mayor's office. Regina was seated at her meeting table with files spread out in front of her. She was concentrating on the paperwork until she heard the knock and raised her eyes in surprise.

"Henry." Regina sounded glad to see him. "I wasn't expecting you."

"I want to go to the Medieval Fayre," Henry announced. "But Emma said I had to come ask you, even though she already said yes."

"Did she indeed."

"Yup."

Regina took her purse and fished out several small bills. She handed them to Henry so that he could buy snacks or enter the games and sideshows. He was about to turn and leave when she grabbed his wrist to get his attention.

"Henry, you may go to the Fayre. But you are not to leave the grounds understand? No wandering off. I want to see you back here in my office no later than 8pm. Don't eat so much candy that you get sick and do not take anything from Miss Ginger. Remember what happened last time."

"Yes, Mom," he droned.

"Off you go then."

Henry ran to the door and looked back when Emma didn't follow. "Come on, Emma. It's already started, the good stuff will be gone. Let's go!"

"I'll catch up with you in a sec, ok kid?" said Emma. "I'll meet you in the courtyard near the fortune teller."

"Which one. Fake warts or real warts?"

"Fake."

After Henry ran off Emma noticed that Regina had already resumed her work and was signing a stack of papers with yellow "sign here" stickers attached to them. She watched her for a few minutes, waiting to see what she'd do. The Mayor's voice was wry when she spoke.

"Your transparent effort to get me alone may have fooled my son, Sheriff, but not me. What do you want."

Emma shrugged nonchalantly. "Just wanted to say sorry for interrupting you when you're working. Alone. In your office on a Saturday afternoon. Also I'm wondering why you didn't scold Henry for not saying please and thankyou. That's a fairly standard Mom thing. Or so I've heard."

"If you are trying to make a point just state it. Avalanches are more subtle than your implications."

"Why are you hiding up here?"

"Hiding? I am doing nothing of the kind. If I were it'd certainly be none of your concern. I'm working."

"Everyone else in town is out there having fun but you're up here by yourself. You could be down there schmoozing with your voters at the very least, Madam Mayor, that would count as work. You left as soon as you officially declared the Fayre opened. Everyone's having a great time except you."

"Like you said, I'm the Mayor. Having responsibilities is by definition the antithesis of fun. I have many things to do."

"Are any of them more important than spending time with your son?"

That got her to look up. Regina whirled on her with a flash of ire. "How dare you imply that I'm neglecting him! You accuse me of not disciplining his manners when you have none yourself. He's going through a phase, ever since you showed up in fact. If you were any kind of parent you'd know that sometimes it involves patience and ignoring bad behaviour, but that doesn't mean that I'm ignoring  _him_."

"That's not what I said," Emma pointed out. "He's fine. Are you?"

"I would be better without having to put up with this conversation."

"I bet Henry would like it if you came with us..."

Regina sighed and it almost sounded pained. "No, he wouldn't. Just go, Sheriff Swan. Get out of my office and keep an eye on my son. He's a ten-year-old child with a habit of running off. Try to remember that you're an adult for once."

There it was. That flash right there. That was the real her, Regina the mother, peeking through. On a Summer's day she could be the coldest bitch you'd ever encounter and her sass was so pointed it stabbed like a shard of ice. Only sometimes she betrayed her burden. She was aggressively manipulative, going after what she wanted with a single-mindedness that bordered on irrational. She was angry and defensive when it came to Henry, but sometimes Emma saw what lay beneath. The neverending worry over her child. Classic symptom of motherhood.

Emma had stayed in Storybrooke for Henry, convinced that his adoptive mother didn't quite love him the way she wanted her to. But every clash with her was a thrill, and the angrier and more defensive Regina became only convinced Emma of one thing.

Regina did love him but she was crap at showing it. She might even be hurt by all this.

"What are you working on anyway?" Emma peered at her curiously. She was still standing around in the Mayor's peripheral vision with her hip cocked and her thumbs in her belt loops. Regina ignored her and continued to shuffle papers.

"Regina, how can this little town possibly produce so much stuff for you to do that you have to work on the weekends? I'm sure whatever it is can wait. Why don't you come down to the Fayre with Henry and me? We'll walk around for a bit and check it out. Play some games, eat some crap, buy some junk."

"No. I hate the Fayre." Regina sounded almost petulant.

Emma snorted and her eyebrows shot up. "You  _hate_  the Fayre? What are you, five? Have you got something in your craw about the existence of the Middle Ages or you just like the Renaissance Fair better?"

"Clearly you know nothing about history. What is there in the Middle Ages to be glorified and enjoyed? Those were times of pestilence and disease and stenches to make your stomach revolt. The people were nothing but unwashed morons dictated to by charlatans and quacks and pompous nobles."

"Oh, this is hilarious. You really hate it don't you? There's a story behind this, I can tell."

Regina was fired up now, she got up on her metaphorical soapbox and started ranting about every bad aspect of Medieval life and how inferior it was in every way to the state of conditions in modern-day America and that the residents of Storybrooke ought to be more grateful. Freedom, democracy, opportunities for women, health, education, torture devices, and child mortality… nothing escaped her scathing diatribe. She was like a one-woman spokesperson for the future and sounded much more passionate than she normally was about politics.

Emma listened to it all, half interested and half amused. When Regina finally ran out of points to make she was a little out of breath and suddenly self-conscious as she tucked her hair back behind her ear.

"Come on," said Emma. "You can keep boring me to death with politics while we're walking around outside. I'll buy you a turkey leg?""

She intended for her smirk to be wry but it came out flirty instead. She let her fingers brush over the back of Regina's blazer and headed out. The touch was over and done before Regina could object in any way.

Regina glared at the retreating form, lacking the usual spite. "With an incentive like that how could I refuse."

* * *

_Winter forest_

The cloud of red smoke dissipated to reveal a tall thin figure in black fur-trimmed robes complete with a black pointed hat. She was unexpectedly pretty-featured with blue eyes and light curls escaping an elegant up-do hidden under her hat. But none of those physicalities were what was most obviously noticeable about her.

Her skin was coloured bright green like the frog she had formerly been disguised as.

"Where fog go," said Anna, wide-eyed. "Who that."

Emma held Anna closer to her chest and put her other hand on Henry' shoulder. She didn't know what was about to happen but she was on guard nonetheless. Not that it would matter if they were attacked, she had no weapons to fight with and no means to escape a magical foe. If the Oz movie was anything to go by, Emma knew exactly who this person was.

"Are you-" started Henry. "You're the Wicked Witch of the West."

"That is what they call me." The skin around the Witch's eyes wrinkled but her smile hinted at malice rather than mirth. Her voice was soft, breathy, and as pretty as she was.

"They say I am even worse than my sister. She truly was an evil witch. It runs in my family."

"What do you want with us," said Emma warily. "Why have you followed us?"

"Perhaps you are unfamiliar with how these things go. Generally if you are running away from someone it is not advisable to allow them to spy on you. You ought to be suspicious of animals that appear to follow you. You may end up being betrayed."

"See, kid," Emma hissed at her son. "I told you not to bring the stupid frog!"

"Hey!" said Henry indignantly. "Anna was the one who threw a hissy fit over it."

The sound of something crunching through the snow alerted their attention. Emma and Henry were horrified to see what looked something like a snow monkey dragging the bloody carcass of a deer behind it. The dead animal's throat was cut as though it had been purposely bled and it did not appear to have been feasted upon. For instance, its belly had not been ripped open in the manner that lions do to eat. The deer's eyes were wide open as if frozen in fear.

The snow was streaked in a red path from deep in the forest.

"Cheeky wittle monkey. What he got?" said Anna, before Emma could shield her eyes from the gory sight.

The Witch barely reacted when the monkey came to a stop at her side with its kill. It was heaving and drooling as if it was both in pain and feeling savage. There was a pair of wings stitched onto its back to unnatural effect. It looked nothing like the lame puppets that were the flying monkeys in the movie.

"What is wrong with that thing?" Emma recoiled in disgust.

"It is not wrong merely because you do not understand," said the Witch.

Henry was also unconvinced. "It moves like it's injured or something. Its wings don't look right. Why does it have the dead deer? Monkeys eat plants and fruit and stuff, not animals."

"Killing serves many motives."

"Yeah," said Emma. "Motives like hunger and territory and mating rights. Not… sport. Animals don't kill because they are bored or malevolent or because they get pleasure from it. Those are motives for the worst of human actions."

"All lifeforms are connected. Why cannot animals rise to the skies as birds do or learn the sentience of humans? I can give orders, whether or not they are followed is not up to me. I cannot control them. I do not seek to."

The monkey began to call loudly in shrieks and used its hands to gather snow from the ground into a ball. Once the snowball was formed, he threw it in a random direction and repeated the process several times over. The Witch took several slow cautious steps out of range.

Henry noticed it and assumed she was wary because of the water thing. "Why are you alive?"

"Why is anyone?"

"But how come you don't look like yourself?"

"If you think witches are supposed to be old and ugly you have not known many witches. Evil has a certain seductive glamour to it. My sister's beauty stole the hearts of many."

Henry shrugged with the nonchalant confidence of early adolescence. "My mom is a witch too and she's not old and ugly. My other mom I mean. Not this one who's probably going to get frostbite because she's too stubborn for her own good."

"I have not heard of such a thing before. Who is this other mother, the witch? We might know one another."

"Don't!-" Emma interjected. "Don't tell her, kid."

"You disappoint me," said The Witch. It sounded like a warning.

"How's that. You don't even know who we are."

Henry joined in. "If you do anything to us you'll really regret it. My mom is the most powerful sorceress in all the realm and she'd do anything to protect us."

The Witch's blue eyes glinted like cold steel and she tipped her chin. "Then you must be none other than her family, her loved ones. In other words, you are her  _weakness_. Your mother is the Princess Regina."

* * *

_Winter castle_

"Did you get  _any_  sleep at all last night?" said Tink, shocked at her friend's appearance. "You look terrible."

Regina frowned. "Thankyou so much, ex-friend. Don't you think I have done enough sleeping recently, Tink?"

"Oh yeah. That."

"Yes,  _that._ "

"Are the nightmares very bad?"

"No, I rather enjoy feeling like I'm being burned alive," said Regina sarcastically. "Besides, do you think that I could sleep right now? My son and his mother are god-knows-where in a strange land with dangers they're unfamiliar with. Snow and Charming have likely perished in a skirmish they could never have won, their child is now missing… and I? I am sitting here unable to do anything about any of it!"

During her speech Regina got up to pace. The long dark cape that fell from her shoulders brushed the ground and followed her steps.

"What is she doing here," the Queen muttered to herself. "This is my realm. She doesn't belong here any more. She has her own damn realm to terrorise. If anyone is going to terrorise this realm it will be  _me_."

"You know her?" said Tink.

"Not at all."

"So how do you know so much about her?"

"We have met."

Before Tink could cross-examine Regina on her annoyingly cryptic answers, a small ball of familiar blue light began to glow at shoulder level. She turned and was unsurprised by the source but curious as to why the fairy was here. Regina was not happy with the arrival of this particular unannounced guest.

"What are you doing here?" snapped Regina. "Leave or I will get the insect repellent."

"I take no pleasure in being here," said the Blue Fairy, her wings were beating as she hovered. "I come from the Summer place to bring a warning. Do not interfere or involve yourself further."

"I had nothing to do with the attack!" Regina said, angry at the accusation. "I sent aid, which was sorely needed by the looks of it. There must have been casualties. Tell me: are Snow and Charming among the dead?"

"Naturally your enemies' deaths would be the first thing you are interested in, Your Majesty. I am not at liberty to say."

"What about their baby? Where is she? If her parents are gone, you must bring the princess to me so that I can protect her. I am her nearest relative after all."

"That is no longer true."

"Emma?" Regina's heart leapt with hope as she shrewdly deduced the fairy's meaning. "She and Henry made it through the portal. They're here. Were they in the palace at the time of the attack? Is Anna with them?"

"They arrived safely, it is not known whether they escaped safely."

"Where are they now?"

"It's not just you who is trying to scry for Emma and Henry's location. They have many enemies here. I have prevented all from finding them or any blood relation of theirs through magical means to protect against prying eyes."

"Well, that was moronic. Now  _I_  can't locate them either!"

"They are safe from her at least."

"You don't know that," Regina argued. "Her powers are… strange. Unnatural."

"And how is that different from your own dark magic?" said the Blue Fairy.

"I am not like  _her_!"

Regina resumed her pacing, as though the movement was the only thing stopping her from attacking the infuriatingly unhelpful fairy or sending a gust of wind her way. Seeing that Regina was becoming frustrated with the lack of answers she was getting, Tink stepped in to see if she could mollify things a bit before they escalated.

"Blue," Tink interrupted hastily. "Henry is Regina's son. If you know something you owe her that information."

"Unfortunately it is not known where they are at this time. All I know is that they were seen running away from the battlements towards the family rooms. No-one has seen them since."

The Blue Fairy turned to Regina. "Now, tell me what it is that you know. What does she want in our realm?"

Regina paused for a second before deciding to answer. "I don't know for certain. I can only assume that she is looking for the Lost Princess, but that is beside the point."

"How so?"

"Because the Lost Princess is exactly that: lost. She is not here, she is not anywhere. The Witch will search the realm and examine all of the princesses she can find, yet what she is seeking cannot be found."

"And will you help her? When she comes to you to reclaim an old alliance?"

"I shall not. I owe her nothing."

"That is not what I've heard," the Blue Fairy said with triumph. "I heard that you owe her a great deal. A debt of life."

"There is nothing to worry about," Regina said dismissively. "I have nothing against reneging on that deal. If I were moral I might be compelled to fulfill such a contract… but I'm not. "

* * *

"Princess?" Emma echoed.

Regina was a princess?

She looked at Henry to confirm but he was still staring down the Witch. Clearly the jig was up and she knew who they were after all. Perhaps that was the reason she was pursuing them in the first place. It wasn't Anna the invaders were after at the castle, it was Regina. The three of them had escaped and were leading their enemies right to her.

"My Mom isn't a princess anymore," said Henry. "She is Queen Regina, also known as  _The Evil Queen_. You may have heard of her."

The Witch seemed amused by his bravado. "I knew her before you ever did. Yes, I have heard the story of her little tiff with Snow White. It's quaint."

"Then you know what she is capable of."

"Oh," the Witch sighed. "Yes. In fact, it is why I am here."

"She's more powerful than you are."

"You have no way of knowing that."

"Yes, I do," insisted Henry.

Emma wasn't sure if he was being maddening on purpose to annoy the Witch, but it was hardly a wise plan. Where did he get that taunting smartassery from?

"Kid-" she warned.

"I know she's better at magic than you are."

"No, you do  _not_!" The Witch retorted. The last word she almost screamed.

All at once the winged monkey began to shriek, happily contributing to the argument. Anna began to wiggle in Emma's arms and begged to be put down.

"Down! Down!" Anna demanded. "I WANT DOWN NOW."

"Shh, Anna-" said Emma, trying to restrain her sister from taking a skydive.

Anna wailed and burst into tears apparently distraught that she was trapped in an adult's arms several feet off the ground. Emma was out of practice at dealing with a toddler's random outbursts even though she had at one time quelled tantrums in shopping centres and zoos and other public places. The volume only increased.

"Stop that hideous crying!" The Witch covered her ears and bent over at the waist. Her face became contorted with rage and she breathed hard as though the crying was causing her physical pain. She lashed out an arm and muttered under her breath.

Emma felt frozen for a second and then her body moved even though she definitely had not told it to. Panic stabbed her at the thought of losing control over herself, of being powerless. She leaned down and lowered the girl in her arms to the snowy ground as if she were a puppet and someone else pulled the strings.

Anna squeaked when her feet hit the icy cold. She was quickly scooped away by Henry.

The Witch righted herself and recovered. But her cold blue eyes were fixed on Emma lying prostrate in the snow at her feet, staring up at her with defiance though being unable to order her own body to move.

Emma wanted to wrench herself away. She wanted to turn her head to yell at Henry to take Anna and run. But she could do nothing. The children were outside her peripheral vision.

She gritted her teeth and asked. "What do you want with Regina."

"That remains to be seen," the Witch said, now calm.

"You're not getting her."

The Witch moved her head around like she was trying to examine her prey from all angles. She reached out and tore the fabric of Emma's tank top exposing the smooth creamy plane of her back. Emma shivered as a hand moved lightly over her skin, raising goosebumps as it trailed down and up over her shoulder blades.

"Yes," breathed the Witch. "And I will have you too."

"No, mine!" said Anna in that stubborn way that toddlers have of declaring their possessions. "My sistuh. Go 'way."

"Mom?" said Henry from somewhere behind her. "What's wrong? Why can't you move?"

Emma swallowed the bile rising in her throat. The wound in her side was throbbing in pain and it felt like there was an enormous weight on her back preventing her from moving.

"H-Henry, run. Take Anna."

"Oh, do," the Witch mocked her in a high-pitched voice. "Henry, run. Take Anna. Take Anna."

Emma tried to push herself up off the ground but the weight upon her sank again. Her arms trembled and gave up the fight. The ice bit into the skin of her cheek and arms as she lay on the ground.

"Go, Henry," she said weakly. "Now."

"But- ... ok, I'll get Mom! We'll be back for you."

The Witch tipped Emma's head up and held her in the grip of her stare. Even when Henry ran off with the baby and the rapid snow-crunches of his footsteps died away she didn't stop them. She stared and stared into the depths of Emma's eyes as though reading the script of her very soul.

"Why does she love you," the whisper asked. "Tell me why. Why do you love her?"

"It's n-none," Emma panted. "Of your fucking business."

Emma couldn't look away from hard eyes the colour of steel and glaciers. Cruel calculating eyes that clashed with the sickly green of the Witch's skin.

"A message for you, Regina," said the Witch. Her voice was an inaudible whisper that felt like it was being inscribed into Emma's mind:

_"I'm going to take everything from you._

_First your enemies,_

_then your friends,_

_and then your loved ones."_

The Witch lowered her face to press a kiss to Emma's lips.

_"I will take from you what you took from me."_

The explosion of images burst into Emma's mind in a series of painful headaches. She gasped and squeezed her eyes shut. Her whole body tensed. Her heart pounded. It was too intense.

_"No screaming. Remember, it's all in your head..."_

The last thing she knew before losing consciousness was a cold laugh. Fingers slipped from under her chin. Emma was out like a light before her head hit the frozen ground.

* * *

Henry was breathing hard and fast, forming white clouds in the freezing air. He knew he couldn't run much further. Anna was getting heavy. He was tired from walking for days with little food and he had no energy left. He didn't know if they had gotten far enough away yet.

 _Emma!_   _Mom!_

_I have to get Mom for Emma._

It was the only thing still driving him through the white blur of forest. It all looked the same. Now that they were alone without Emma they were worse than lost. How was he to find his way to the castle? If it was hard before it was impossible now.

Henry came to a stop for a short rest but he after ten minutes he still couldn't make his legs start up again. He shifted Anna and pulled the sweater back down over her for warmth.

"Go home?" said Anna. "Mommy? Fog mean want sistuh bah?"

"We're going to get her back, Anna," said Henry. "Don't worry. My Mom will know what to do."

_I hope._

_Mom, why didn't you ever say anything before? You loved Emma all this time but you let us go. She loved you and we left anyway. Now she doesn't even remember. Why did you always fight? We could have been happy together. What is wrong with you two?!_

The sound of horses approaching had Henry looking left and right until he realised what was ahead. Beyond the rise there was a gravelly road that parted the trees and snowy ground cover. A half dozen soldiers mounted on horses with identical livery approached. They were followed by a small formation of infantry on foot.

The leading horseman pulled his enormous coal-black steed to a halt. The horse shook at the silver and black bridle and stomped a forefoot.

"You are on the Queen's road, boy." The soldier's voice was deep and sounded like the gravel that crunched under the horses' hooves. He swung himself from the saddle and approached with sword drawn.

Anna's trademark golden curls were untucked from the sweater she was wrapped in. It was too late for Henry to hide her.

"Hand over the baby."

"No." Henry said stubbornly. He was the last of Anna's protectors and he would stand up to it. Like Emma had.

It was unclear whether the man was friend or foe. He was dressed in black from boots up and his face was covered underneath a silver helmet. Silver branches curled across his leather chest armour. Henry backed away warily.

"Relinquish the princess," the soldier commanded. "I will not ask again."

Henry raised his chin and swallowed hard. The soldier now held his sword a hair's breath from Henry's neck.

"W-what do you want with her?"

The lead man gestured to one of his foot soldiers to take Anna from Henry. She went to him easily and again when she was handed to a seated horseman, as though she were being passed around among relatives.

"Hewo!" Anna chirped. She giggled and batted at the black feather plume of the soldier's helmet.

Henry rolled his eyes.  _Anna,_  he growled in his head.  _What are you doing, kid?_  She had to be the friendliest baby who ever lived. What happened to babies not liking strangers?

"Where are you taking her," Henry demanded.

The lead man ignored the question and looked him over, assessing his height and size. "How old are you, boy?"

"Twelve. Ten. Sixteen. What do you care."

"You abducted a Princess, we are allies of the Summer Kingdom from whence she hails. Do you know the punishment for such treason? The punishment is death meted out by Her Majesty the Queen Regina."

_Mom!_

Henry cried. "You're her soldiers? She knows me. I'm -"

"You are too young for that sentence. She would not kill you." The Commander of Her Majesty's Elite Royal Guards did not smile.

"She would ground me for a week is what she'd do," said Henry. "Take me to the Queen! You have to-"

The lead soldier gestured for another foot soldier and shoved Henry by the back towards him. The second grabbed his shoulders, easily restraining the much younger boy.

"Can you fight?" the second said.

Henry was confused. "What? No."

"Can you die?"

The soldiers began to laugh among themselves, obviously amused at the idea of a skinny pre-teen facing the horrors of the Ogres Wars. It was a relief to find any amusement and to forget that when they were boys the children of their village had been plucked away on the night of their birthdays. One by one. Their brothers, sisters, and friends had been taken away to answer the bloody call of the ogres' unquenchable thirst for violence.

The Commander silenced them all and gave his order.

"Send him to war."

* * *

Through the gap in the trees they saw the Witch startle as the arrow fired above her head. The streamlined projectile barely missed and buried itself into the bark of the tree directly behind. She was seen scanning the forest looking for the shooter apparently. They heard her chant under her breath, probably a spell to reveal hidden foes but still they remained concealed where they were.

"Who is there!" the Witch hissed.

Three more arrows loosed in quick succession and slammed into the bark. Closer this time. The heavy snow-covered branches quivered and shook off their burden. A watery threat fell and headed straight for the one below.

The Witch disappeared in a cloud of red smoke. She was gone.

"Nice shooting, Tip, my boy."

"Thanks," the young marksman grinned to the man beside. They were hidden in the forest. "I like archery but not as much as fishing. You have taught me well, Robin."

"Hm, is that so? Let me see your weapon." Robin took the elegant curved bow from his young friend to check for damage. It was made from the finest English Yew like his own was but this one was special. "An arrow from this bow never misses its target."

Tip nodded gravely. "I did not miss."

"You shot four arrows and did not hit once."

"I never meant to," said Tip. "No-one has the right to kill another. Not even me."

The two of them differed on many points of opinion, including whether or not violent force ought to be used to conquer enemies. Back at the camp while the other Merry Men romped and laughed, the two of them discussed and disagreed over more serious matters. Tip favoured pacifism and spoke like a man much older and wiser than fourteen, often insisting that money be done away with for peace's sake. Robin's honour was sound but he had seen war abroad and knew that sometimes violent tyrants only met their ends only through violent means.

"We should return to camp," said Robin. "Night draws near… Tip, what are you doing?"

"I want my arrows back."

Tip shrugged off the backpack and went over to retrieve the expended projectiles that were still sticking out of the tree like needles. Before the tree Tip nearly trod on something soft yet hard underfoot. Nearly covered entirely by snow but it was unmistakable.

"Robin! There's someone here. Injured, I think."

Robin came running and together they cleared the snow that had fallen to cover the prostrate form of an underdressed blonde woman. She was unconscious, her clothing was torn and her skin was turning blotchy pink from the cold. There were five ragged lines of dried blood on her back as though she had been clawed or scratched.

He turned her over and still she did not move or wake.

"Does she live?" asked Tip.

Robin felt the woman's throat and chest for breath signs. His reply was grim. "Alas I cannot tell."

Robin transferred their packs, quivers, and bows to Tip to carry and then he lifted the unknown woman's form into his arms. She was unresisting and cold to the touch. He led the way, heading in a direction he knew well by now.

"I wonder why she was after her?" said Tip, in stride. "Perhaps we saved her just in time. Are we taking her back to the camp with us?"

"She needs healing," said Robin. "I feel we should take her to Regina, my fiance. But surely that would be expected by our enemies and we cannot lead them there. If the girl does not survive there will be no need to add to the Queen's many troubles with this. I will not cause her unnecessary grief. We will return to camp for the night and decide upon the morrow."


	7. Chapter 7

**The Visit Chapter 7**

_Storybrooke, flashback to the beginning_

Mayor Regina Mills was in her home office at Mifflin St when she heard the front door open and slam shut with a bang. There was a loud scattering in the foyer. It was four o'clock and so it must have been her son arriving home from school. She could not account for the noise however and got up to investigate. Her Mom-voice was primed to deliver a stern reprimand which died on her lips when she saw him.

Ten-year-old Henry was glaring at her with his arms crossed in a huffy pose. He had dumped his school backpack on the floor and the papers and coloured pencils had spilled out everywhere.

"What is it, Henry?" said Regina, confused by his attitude. "What is wrong with you? Pick up your things."

"No."

"Henry," she warned. "We do not live in a pigsty. Take your things upstairs to your room and make a mess there if you must."

"No. You can't tell me what to do anymore."

"You are really testing my patience. What has gotten into you today?!"

Henry raised his chin. "I don't have to do what you say because you're not even my Mom. Not really."

Regina felt like the world was about to collapse in on her. She gaped for a second, completely flummoxed and not knowing how to respond. She had never imagined that this day would come. How did he find out about that? Nobody in town even knew the truth to expose the secret of his birth. Nobody had ever questioned why she suddenly started toting around a baby one day. Nobody noticed that her child was growing up and the others weren't.

"How do y- why would you say that?" said Regina.

"Why didn't you tell me I was adopted. Why would someone give me away?" Henry almost looked like he would cry.

Regina sighed and closed her eyes for a second. Then she put her arm around him and led him to the stairs. She sat him down on the bottom step next to her.

"I'm sorry," she said in a low voice. "Sweetheart, I know this is a lot for you to deal with. I didn't tell you because I didn't think it mattered. I did adopt you when you were a baby but you are my son and I love you."

"No, you don't."

Regina wasn't sure why he didn't believe it but she tried to explain. "I know I've had to work a lot recently. My job is demanding and I have to work weekends sometimes to get things done for the town. But I promise it isn't always going to be like this. We'll make some time and do something together very soon. Things will be better I promise. You'll see."

"You always say that. We  _never_  go anywhere. Nothing ever happens here! Everybody does exactly the same thing all the time. Everything is weird and now I know why."

"What do you know?" asked Regina suspiciously.

Henry clammed up and wouldn't say anything further. He had his gaze fixed on his backpack which was still laying on the floor with its guts spilled everywhere. The corner of a large hardbound book was poking out of the bag's gaping maw. Regina assumed it was one of the library books her son was always carrying around.

"Who is my real mother?" said Henry.

Regina's answer came out more snippy than she intended. "I have no idea who your  _birth_  mother is. It was a closed adoption, that means the records were sealed."

"I want to find her. I want to meet her."

"Why, Henry," she said with some exasperation. "So you can go ask her why she abandoned you? Do you know what type of person gives up her baby willingly? She might not have wanted you but I always have. It's been ten years, she could be anywhere by now doing who-knows-what."

Regina stopped short of going further and mentioning junkies and criminals. She had breathed a sigh of relief at her baby son's clean bill of health initially. Though he would not stop crying he was born healthy. Not undernourished or addicted to crack as some orphans are.

Why would anyone give up their own child? Only someone who could not have children of their own knew how truly valuable and rare the gift of a child was. Regina  _knew_. She didn't know why Henry would even want to meet this unknown woman. What would the point of that be? He would be crushed when she rejected him again.

"She didn't abandon me," Henry insisted. "I bet it was a mistake. She wanted me all this time and has been looking for me ever since. Maybe she had to give me up because there was something really important she had to do first. She'll come back for me one day, I just know it. That's probably what happened."

"Oh, Henry," Regina sighed. "It was her choice to give you up. But none of that matters now-"

"She  _did_  want me. You'll see!"

Regina tried to compose herself, but as usual the anger rose in her when she thought of her son's birth mother and how she had abandoned baby Henry not long after birth. He was setting himself up for disappointment. It was horrible seeing her son so upset. All of this was only hurting him. If only he had never found out…

"Why can't you be a nice person all the time, Mom," Henry looked up at her with sadness in his eyes. "Nobody in town likes you and the kids don't like me either. Everyone is afraid of you, I heard Mary Margaret telling one of the other teachers."

"Miss Blanchard should not be spreading lies about me.  _She_  is not a good person. I'm the Mayor, that means I'm not popular with everyone. You and I are a family, that's what matters. The two of us. We have each other."

Henry carried on. "I bet my real Mom is nice and has loads of friends and they have kids who I can play with. They would all go to each other's houses and have picnics and vacations together and stuff. Maybe I even have grandparents!"

Regina shook her head at her son's wild flight of fantasy which was now getting out of hand. "So this woman who you've never even seen, you think she's a better mother for you than I am? I've cared for you for your entire life. Does that mean nothing now?"

"But why are you only nice to me? It's because you're pretending isn't it."

"No," Regina cried. "I'm not."

Henry looked down stubbornly at his shoes and she could tell he didn't believe her. How on earth was she to prove such a thing to him? She had never before considered having to justify her love for him in any way.

Henry gave a single determined nod. "I'm going to find her."

"Fine," Regina snapped. "Go find her! She'll tell you exactly what I said. She doesn't want you, she never did. That's the real reason she gave you up."

"You're lying! I hate you."

Henry got up and slipped out of her hand when she tried to grab it. He stomped upstairs making sure she heard every single angry step. His bedroom door slammed shut and she didn't hear a peep from him for the rest of the night. Not even when she called him for dinner.

It wasn't often that Regina came up against someone as strong-willed as herself. It was even less often that she yelled at her son. Of course like any child he was naughty sometimes and they butted heads over things like bedtimes and television hours and homework and sweets. But they had never had a screaming match before.

Regina was a strict parent and she wanted her son to grow into a well-mannered and intelligent, upstanding young man. Usually she would try to reason with him and keep her patience in check when he got on her nerves but children had that innate ability to drive their parent completely up the wall. She had never lost control of herself with him before.

She instantly hated herself for what she had said to him and what he had said in return. It played on her mind. Over and over, on terrible repeat. She knew superficially that he hadn't meant it, he didn't really hate her. Children said things they didn't mean all the time and they did it when they felt unable to express their anger in any other way. He had never said it before though and it still hurt deep down no matter how hard she rationalised it.

Slowly Regina got up from the step where she had been sitting for a while. She still couldn't believe how badly the conversation had gone and wondered if it had been possible for her to have done better. She should have comforted him, listened to him, and tried to understand. But it had upset her to hear him disclaim her as his mother.

At bedtime she went to check on him. Regina opened the door to his bedroom, seeing that the light was off. Her son was already in bed with a determined frown on his face as he slept. When she kissed his cheek softly she could see the salty tear trails that had dried there. She switched on his nightlight in case he woke up later from a nightmare and was too stubborn to come to her room. She left the door ajar and then went to her bedroom to prepare for a restless night of no sleep and probably a few tears of her own.

Regina could not have known that one day soon when her son left for the bus stop he would not intend to go to school. She could not have known that he would find his way alone to Boston. She could not have known that he would come back with the last person she ever wanted to meet.

In the heat of an argument she'd told him to go find his birth mother and he went and did it. After that things would be fractured between them for a while, made even more complicated because of  _someone_  sticking around town.

She would never forget this day as long as she lived. It may have been the start of one story but to Regina it felt like the end of hers.

* * *

_Winter castle_

The door of the main entrance to the castle boomed three times. Regina was closest. She turned in the direction of the knocking which sounded again and again. There was no servant nearby and the butler had not surfaced. No-one else was around.

She got up herself and muttered sarcastically. "Yes, fine. I will answer it. I'm only the Queen of the entire castle. What else have I to do."

Before she got there the door opened anyway and one of her guards appeared looking much the worse for wear and panting from running hard. She noticed immediately the precious little bundle he cradled in his arms.

"Anna!" Regina gasped.

The toddler's trademark blonde curls may have been tucked inside the sweater but it was unmistakably the youngest Charming child. She stretched out her arms towards her requesting to be held and dove out of the guard's arms. Regina only just caught her.

"Darling, no swan dives, please," she begged. Regina hugged the baby tightly, kissed her, and freed her curly hair. "You're safe. I've been so worried for you."

"He'wo." Anna smiled happily. "Where Mommy an' Daddy?"

Regina said gently. "I'm going to take care of you for a little while. Your Mommy asked me to. Do you remember me, sweetie?"

Anna exaggerated a nod. Regina was relieved that the baby recognised her despite their only meeting once after she had woken from the cursed sleep. They did not have much time but Snow had managed to both burden and honour her former stepmother with a request.

"Your Maj'st-" the guard tried to say but he was still out of breath and leaned on the door jamb.

"Yes," Regina dismissed him with a nod. "Go take a meal and recover. That will be all."

"Wait-"

Whatever he wanted to tell went unheeded as the Queen had already walked away murmuring sweetly to the baby and asking if she was hungry. Regina intended to question the guard later about how and where the princess had been found but right now all she cared about was the fact that Anna was safe and apparently uninjured.

First on her agenda was to feed the toddler whose grumbly tummy announced itself before the complaints that followed. The Queen startled every scullery maid and nearly caused the cook to faint when she appeared in the kitchen, rummaging through the stores herself. The cook snapped into professionalism and made quick work of producing some apple juice and bread and butter for newest additional to the household.

Once the tummy was full other important matters that needed attention.

"What on earth are you wearing, Little Miss Swan?" Regina pretended to be stern. "Your Royal Highness appears to be bare-bottomed. This will not do at all."

Anna giggled and squirmed in Regina's arms as she was carried to the Queen's bathing chamber. Once inside, Regina set the little girl down next to a large copper tub that she'd ordered to be half-filled with heated water. Anna flapped her arms repeatedly and the sleeves of the sweater unrolled until they fell all the way to the floor. It was then that Regina took a second to notice what the baby was actually wearing.

Anna raised her arms cooperatively and let Regina undress her. She was wearing a light summer dress underneath… and an adult's sweater and socks pulled up over her legs for warmth. No diaper or underpants though. Surely Snow had not dressed her in this strange getup for a day in the Summer Kingdom. The sweater's knit was very white and fairly new and had a production-line appearance so it was definitely not from this world. The tag inside the neck hem read 'GAP'.

"Emma." Regina breathed the name as though she could breathe life into the person and make her appear.

"Mine," declared Anna. "My sistuh."

Regina felt an urgent twist in her chest. "Anna, did you see Emma at the castle?"

"Uh huh, Emma want Mommy too. Sad that and go bye-byes. Time for bath now?"

"Yes, darling. Time to get you all clean."

"All keen," Anna echoed and giggled.

Regina lifted her into the tub and gave her slippery 'witness' as much of a washing as she was ever going to put up with. Anna really was an extraordinarily beautiful child. Even more so because she was good-natured and friendly. Right now her cheeks glowed pink from the heat of the bath. She chattered away to herself having imaginary conversations and singing la-la ditties of her own creation.

Regina wondered if Emma herself had been like her sister at this age. Or had her similar ease with strangers been discouraged out of her in the foster system? The former Evil Queen had gone after Snow's firstborn at the last minute to get rid of her. If she had known how to find the curses's lone escapee when they arrived in Storybrooke would she have been able to do it? To remove that one potential threat to her happy ending? Could she have stolen an infant who looked just like Anna and thrown her off a parapet? Or stifled her with a pillow? Or slit a throat from whence little giggles might come one day?

She wasn't sure if her old self would have done it and the uncertainty made Regina's heart feel cold. What if Emma had never lived. What if Henry had never lived?

_What would my life have been? Would I know what I never even had? My son and the woman who I ... who I might -_

"Knock knock." Tinkerbelle poked her head through the door and smiled. "Has the unruly terror been tamed? Oh dear. What happened to you two."

Regina gestured at the soaking that her cream satin dress had undergone from Anna splashing around in the bath which she was sitting next to. "She's a Charming. They are all trouble, every last one of them. What else is to be expected when trying to wrangle one into a bath."

"Do you need any help? Why don't you get your maid to bathe her."

"I'm perfectly capable of administering a bath to a toddler, Tink. My maid did suggest otherwise and was scandalised when I dismissed her. She thinks this is beneath my dignity. It is not."

Tink came in to sit with her for company so they could talk while Anna played around in the bath. The baby's blonde curls were now wet and plastered to her head but her eyes, face, and other features gave her family connections away. Regina maintained a protective hand on the baby's back.

"My goodness she looks just like Emma," said Tink. "What a cutiepie."

Regina nodded. It was the first thing she had noticed herself. If Emma had seen Anna upon arriving in this realm what would she have thought about seeing her parents with this new sibling? She would feel hurt and replaced surely. Unless her forgotten memories prevented her from caring at all about two random people claiming to be her parents. Without proof Emma would be hard to convince. But Anna's resemblance was damning evidence.

"Would you like some good news or some bad news?" said Tink.

Regina sighed. "Just tell me."

"Hook turned up just now."

"Hm. I much prefer the previous guest I received. Her babble is more intelligible."

Regina lifted Anna out of the bath into a towel to dry her off and then bundled her up like a giant sausage roll. She had plenty of experience with a slippery toddler who liked to run off after a bath to streak naked throughout the house so she kept a tight hold on her young charge.

"He's gone to sample your rum cabinet until you're free," said Tink.

"I'll have to question him I suppose, I need to know what he knows about Emma and Henry's arrival here. He may know where they went."

"He's not here for some other reason is he?" asked Tink. "For you maybe?"

"Me? You mean-" Regina deduced her to mean 'romantically'. "Me and Hook? Never. Why?"

"Oh, no reason. Just asking." Tink was unsuccessful at being nonchalant. "I know he had something going on with Emma in Neverland… I thought he might be here to meddle."

Realisation dawned over Regina's face and she made a moue of disgust. "Tink! Tell me you didn't."

"What?" Tink said defensively. "He was the only man on Neverland island. He's handsome."

"That's what they all say. I don't see it."

"That is because you only have eyes for one, you always were single-minded. Does he know you have feelings for Emma? Are you jealous?"

Regina gave her friend the haughty look. "Maybe if I considered him to be any competition, which I do not. I'm sure Emma has had her fill of the 'love-them-and-leave-them-in-jail' type after what Neal did to her."

"Didn't  _you_  have her arrested as well?" Tink pointed out wryly. "You framed her for theft, didn't you say?"

Grrr. Why did Tink have to remember that part of the narrative and bring it to her attention in such an annoying way?

"Go away, Tink," Regina said petulantly. "We're not friends anymore."

"Yes, we are." Tink jumped up to leave. "Just you wait. I'm going to be the best friend you ever had."

Regina muttered. "That's not saying much. My best friend was a horse."

Once Tink had skipped away Regina looked down to the toddler now cradled peacefully against her chest. Anna's eyes were drooping closed and she was very nearly asleep already. It must be naptime. Either that or she was worn out from whatever had happened to her over the past day or so.

Having a child in her arms again reminded Regina of Henry at that age. It felt like a lifetime ago and yet it also felt like only yesterday. When she'd last seen him it was seconds before the curses's return and counting down so fast that she couldn't believe it was really happening. She had willingly given up her own child despite her vow never to abandon him. Would she ever know if that had been the right decision? Only if she saw him again, for which she'd give anything.

_Please be safe, Henry. I'll do whatever it takes to find you and see you once more. Where are you?_

* * *

_Winter forest_

The boy prisoner was yet to shut up. The guards restrained his hands and marched him onward but there was no stopping his mouth.

"She is my MOTHER! Queen Regina. I'm her son. I'm Henry Mills! You have to believe me-" on and on it went.

The Commander had sent the baby princess back to the Winter Castle and ordered the remainder of the Elites to push on towards the Summer Kingdom where their original mission awaited. The Queen's orders had been to rescue the princess as priority and then to determine whether Snow White was dead. He would not make the famous mistake of coming back with the wrong answer, as the Huntsman had done to his peril long ago.

But the boy was beginning to concern him. Everyone knew the Queen was childless. What did her enemies seek to gain with this long-lost-son ruse?

"What do you think, sir?" The Lieutenant leaned close, gesturing with a glance at the prisoner who was yet to let up with the misbehaviour.

"It is a trick of some sort. We endanger the Queen if we take it as truth, it would lead our enemies straight to her."

"But-"

The Commander glared and raised his eyebrows. "Something to add, Lieutenant?"

"The boy says he is named Henry."

"Many a male child is."

"Yes sir, but-" the young guard cleared his throat and recovered his military demeanor. "As you know, sir, I was assigned the watch outside the Queen's chambers when she first returned. I heard her speaking in the night. Her engagement is widely spoken of, I assumed she was with her lover-"

"Watch your tongue lest I cut it out."

The guard gulped. "Yes, Sir, no disrespect to the Queen. But she was crying for a 'Henry'. Might there have been a child no-one knows about? If we are wrong-"

"We are not wrong." The commander raised his rough voice to the rear guard. "Bring the boy to me."

Two soldiers gripping bony shoulders brought the boy supposedly named Henry in front of the Commander. He was hardly a boy, almost a man these days, on the cusp of the age of majority. The age of being sent to die in war. He did not have the look of it though. He stared defiantly and talked back to any adult as though raised to believe it was his right to be heard. He acted as though his life was worth something and he expected it to go on indefinitely. A sign of high-birth. It made the Commander reassess his initial appraisal.

The clothing was strange. Foreign. The accent was educated. The hair, the eyes, the skin - all approximate to the Queen's. Nothing stood out as obviously false about the familial claim so far, except the fact that no-one from this land had ever heard of the Queen having a child of this age. It was well-known that her marriage to the King had produced no fruit. (To the delight of gossip-mongers.) But her time in the other land during the cursed years was an unknown...

Could this boy really be the heir to the throne?

"Boy, you treason yourself by impersonating Royalty," the Commander warned.

Henry responded angrily. "I'm not trying to threaten her! She's my Mom. She'd kill  _you_  for hurting me."

"Where are you from."

"Storybrooke!"

The cursed land, far away in another realm. He had heard tell of the Queen's creation and refuge. The Commander paced a few steps in front of the boy who was now kneeling on the ground tracing his movements with prideful eyes.

"If the Queen is your mother then you won't resist proving it."

Henry's brow furrowed. The Commander rolled up his sleeve and produced a deadly-looking dagger from some hidden sheath. He pressed the sharp tip into the vein at his elbow and let a trickle of blood flow into rivers curling around his thick forearm.

"Do you see this blood? It belongs to Her Majesty for I have sworn an oath of allegiance to the Winter Kingdom and to protect her with my own life, to spill this blood willingly for her favour, and to disobey no order from her lips."

He could see Henry watching in awe, wondering to what the demonstration tended. The Commander smeared the blood trails across the silver filigree on his chest armour.

"If you are her son you inherit the power over her guards."

Henry seemed taken aback. "W-what? I don't understand."

"Give me an order and I must choose to obey. Or my life will be cut down where I stand. Give me any order you like."

"Let me go?" tried the boy. "Take me to the Queen. Pick up a stone and lick it."

Nothing happened. The Commander looked around left and right, then to the sky. No swift scythe or reaper on horseback appeared to claim his soul for the underground. He breathed deeply to demonstrate that most basic sign of life. He had not felt compelled by the magic oath in the slightest.

"It didn't work," said the Lieutenant. "The boy lies."

"Wait!" cried Henry. "Is it blood magic? I  _am_  her son but we're not related like that because she didn't give birth to me. My other mother did before my Mom adopted me-"

The Commander stopped him there in the middle of a story far too incredulous to be believed. With a single non-verbal nod he indicated to Henry's imprisoners to take him away. The boy would be restrained at the wrists and complete the rest of their journey to the Summer Kingdom on horseback, replacing one of the guards who now would not get to ride.

"What are your orders now with regards to the boy?" It was his Lieutenant speaking low.

The Commander resisted growling at the impasse he faced. "I cannot spare a man to accompany him to the war front. He remains with us for now."

* * *

_Winter castle_

When Regina entered the servants' mess hall the entire cohort stood to attention and their glances immediately fell to the floor in deference. She waved at them to sit down and searched their ranks for the one she was looking for. She found him because he was the only one who had not moved.

"Ah, Your Majesty." Hook bowed his head somewhat unsteadily. His simpering charm was at full strength to no effect. Glassy eyes accompanied his slurred speech. He raked his eyes over her dress which she hadn't changed after it had been soaked during Anna's bath.

"You're wet. It's a good look on a woman."

"Hello Hook." Regina cast her eye over the empty rum bottle in front of him. "Enjoying my hospitality I see."

"Well, I know you've no use for rum, Regina. Wouldn't want it t' go wasted eh?"

"I think you are the one who is wasted."

Hook smirked and waved his arm out in the air. "I'm trying my best."

"Are you too useless to answer my questions? Or do I to have to wait until tomorrow when you sober up? If so I shall accompany your hangover with construction noises, peacock squeals, and whatever hells I can think of."

"I don't know where Emma is," said Hook, preempting her.

Regina sat down across the bench from him. "You were successful in our plan of bringing Emma and Henry here?"

"Yes. Swan was difficult to convince of course. She still doesn't have her memories."

"But Henry does," Regina deduced.

"Yes. The Blue Buzzkill had some potion somethin'-or-other. The boy remembers everything."

Regina was thrilled to hear that. Sleeping through his absence in her life had been painful enough. The knowledge that even if she saw him again he wouldn't know who she was ... it was unbearable. She could hardly wait to see or hold her son again.

"Where were you when the castle was attacked?"

"I was out …" Hook said vaguely. "The housemaids were servicing my room. "

"You mean you were servicing the housemaids in your room?"

Hook looked confused. "That's what I said."

"Were Snow and Charming killed?"

"That I don't know. I left to follow Emma and Henry when they escaped but I lost their trail. They were headed this way as far as I know."

"They were coming here?"

"Yes, didn't you get Snow's message?"

Regina remembered the note she'd received. It had read: _"She is coming for you."_  At the time she had assumed it referred to the Witch coming for an attack, when in fact it had been Emma coming to her for protection.

"They were on their way here and never made it," Regina said to herself. "Why?"

* * *

_Summer forest_

Henry pushed his sleeves up and rubbed the sweat from his brow. He had already divested himself of Emma's signature red leather jacket a while ago. Back when he and the procession of guards passed the invisible barrier that marked the difference between the Winter forest and the Summer forest.

It was insanely hot and the sun beat down on them all. The guards in black leather must have been worse off in the heat. They were no longer surrounded by snow and dreariness, instead the forest was green and alive.

The twelve-year-old was relieved that little Anna had been taken to safety. He had heard the Commander order that the baby be taken to Regina as fast as humanly possible. He was glad. But he was anxious about not knowing what had happened to Emma. Had the Witch killed her already? Did the Witch have an even worse fate planned for her than death and what fate did she intend for them all? The only thing he could think of was to get to his Mom. She would know what to do. She would find a way to save Emma. It would not be too late.

_She has to be ok. We're going to be a family. The three of us._

It had a nice ring to it. 'The three of them'. He had lived with his mother Regina for a decade and also had memories of living with his mother Emma for a decade. He hoped his next decade would involve the three of them finally living together. Him and his parents.

_Parents. Not 'parent'. I'm going to have both of my parents in my life at the same time._

Now that Henry had calmed down he was allowed to march freely as long as he didn't attempt to escape. He jogged a few steps to catch up to the Commander who was in the lead on foot.

"Are we there yet?" said Henry.

The tall soldier at his side grunted.

"Where are we going?"

Still no response.

Henry tried again. "Why are we heading away from the Winter Castle? Are we going to the Summer Kingdom? Are we going back to the Summer Palace? It was half destroyed you know, why are we-"

"Boy, do you ever stop talking?" said the Commander in his characteristic gruff voice, now exasperated. He spoke as if he was not used to doing much talking. A strong silent type accustomed to following orders without complaint or argument.

"Not when someone's not giving me answers to my questions. I just spent two days walking from Summer to Winter and now I have to go back? Ugh. Whyyy _._ "

"It is our mission."

Henry was surprised. "Mom ordered you to go to the Summer Palace? Will you let me help? What exactly is your mission?"

The Commander must've thought it strange that his prisoner was offering such a thing. "We are to ascertain the whereabouts of the Royal family."

"Snow White and Prince Charming?" guessed Henry. "Then you have to let me help. My Mom sent you to rescue them didn't she. Do you think it's possible that they're alive?"

"The Queen's orders are none of your concern. How do you know to ask that?"

"Maybe I can tell you what I know," said Henry slyly. "I saw what happened when the castle was attacked. Isn't first-hand intelligence the most valuable asset when the mission has so many unknown variables?"

"Then tell me."

Henry put a bit of the old Charming mischief in his grin. "Okay. I'll tell you… if you let me send a message to the Queen."

"Not a chance. Even if I were inclined to make such a deal I can spare no messenger to convey it."

"I don't care! Find another way so that I can speak to her or I will let you walk us into an ambush."

The Commander stopped in his tracks and grabbed a fistful of Henry's shirt to stare into his eyes. They were green, the same colour as his mother Emma's. A colour the realm was beginning to fear.

"Tell me what you know or I will kill you. You will never face the Queen if I have anything to do with it."

Henry smiled. "I'm glad she has someone like you to protect her. But she doesn't need protection from me. Let me talk to her okay? She'll know who I am straight away. You don't need to be afraid of my hurting her."

Henry kept up his end of the staring contest and he could sense the Commander's resolve beginning to waver. He had a feeling this guy took his duty to the Queen very seriously. Maybe he even cared about her. That was the key to persuading the stoic soldier, he was certain of it.

Their tete a tete was broken when another soldier caught up to them. The one they called Lieutenant had left the remainder of the mounted guards and jogged to where Henry and the Commander marched ahead of the pack.

"Commander!" the soldier said, holding out a small round flat object. "The Queen requests an audience."

As the object was passed between them Henry noticed that light from the bright sun glanced off of its reflective surface. It was a hand-held mirror. Regina must be using her magic mirror to contact her guards. If he could just get in the way or let her know of his presence...

"Mo-!" Henry was cut off by a hand stifling his mouth.

"Get the boy out of sight," the Commander ordered.

As Henry was dragged away he struggled against the second soldier trying desperately to break free or to shout out. For the first time in a year he heard his mother's voice.


	8. Chapter 8

_Summer Forest_

"Commander, where in the hell are you!" Queen Regina's visage appeared in the small round looking glass. "It does not take this long to get to the Summer Palace via the Royal Road. Why are you dawdling?"

Henry saw the Commander glance his way. He tried to speak but couldn't get away from the hand covering his mouth. He was bursting to shout:  _Mom, it's me. I'm here!_

"We were delayed, Your Majesty. The princess and-"

"Yes. Thank you. The princess has been received safely. I questioned the Pawn guard who brought her but I'd prefer an update from someone in a higher command. Is there some reason for your continued delay? I am not accustomed to waiting for answers. Whether the Royals are dead is a crucial piece of information."

"Understood, Your Majesty. The guards and I have taken a prisoner. He has been … difficult."

Regina sounded impatient. "I don't care about petty crime right now! Release him and get on with it."

The second Regina had given her order the Lieutenant's grasp on him released and Henry sprang free. Even if they were inclined to restrain him they would not, under oath, disobey an order from their Queen.

"Mom! Mom! Mom!" Henry smushed up against the Commander's side so he could look in the handheld mirror. In the real world they might have looked like they were taking a selfie with an iPhone.

"Henry?" Regina gasped. She was shocked though clearly happy to see him. "Are you hurt? What happened? Where's Emma?"

"Mom, I'm okay!" said Henry, now with a big smile on his face. He was excited to see his Mom again even if it was only a video chat of sorts. The words poured out of him as he told her everything that had happened since arriving in Fairytale Land: how he got his memory back but Emma didn't, then how Emma had taken Anna and they escaped the castle before the attack, then their trek through the forests to go find her, then their meeting the Witch.

"She told me to run!" cried Henry. "I had to take Anna to safety. We thought the Witch was after her but now I think it was someone else she wanted. She was doing something strange to Emma. Mom, you have to save her!"

"I will do what I can." His Mom's image winced. "I promised Emma's mother that I would take care of Anna as her godmother. I can't leave her right now so I can't come to get you."

"That's alright. I had to let you know what happened. I'm safe where I am."

"Why did the Commander not send you to me with Anna?"

Henry paused and looked up to the soldier next to him. He had a chance here to rat the guy out and tell his mother all about how he had been taken prisoner and accused of lying and treason and whatever else. The Commander knew it too, from his face he knew he was about to die for what he had done.

"I'm going with them," Henry decided. "We're going to the Summer Palace to see if we can find my grandparents. When I was with Emma we saw the battlements collapse behind us and it looked bad. But I have to know the truth. If there's any chance of finding them alive I want to be there."

"Absolutely not! It's far too dangerous-"

"Mom! I'm your son right?" Henry interrupted, he kept his eyes trained on the Commander. "That makes me a Prince, like you always used to say to me when I was little. I thought it was just a nickname but it's true. I'm twelve. If I was from this realm I would be old enough to lead an army by now right? I have your guards to help me. Let me do this."

"I- I - … yes, go on then, against my better judgement I will allow you to go. The Elites are highly trained, they will protect you. But if you get yourself injured or killed you are grounded forever and I will crush the hearts of all involved. Do you understand me?"

Henry grinned. "Yes, Mom."

"You sound so grown up. Oh Henry, it's wonderful to finally see you again. I've missed you dearly. I love you."

"I love you too. Now I have to quit dawdling and get on with my mission. I'll see you soon, ok?"

"Be brave. Stay safe."

"I will, Your Majesty." Henry gave his mother a wave and the image disappeared from the mirror and the reflected surface returned to normal.

Henry watched without speaking as the Commander tucked the communication device inside his livery where it disappeared. He suspected that many weapons were also hidden on the soldier's person. The other man was broad-shouldered, well-built, and carried himself with ramrod-like discipline. This man was not to be underestimated. Ever.

The Commander set his shoulders back but appeared discomfited. "Why did you not tell Her Majesty that I took you as my prisoner? I nearly sent you to war. I should pay with my life for that mistake and I do not seek to avoid punishment. You should have told the Queen the truth."

Henry shook his head. "No. I'd much rather have you alive so that you can continue to protect her as well as you have been. Don't ever stop being good at that job. Plus you need to come help me find my grandparents."

"I apologise for not believing you to be the Queen's son, Your Highness. I will repay your mercy."

"You didn't believe me because I said I had two mothers right? It's different in the world where I come from. I'm sure it's not that common here so I get why you didn't believe it at first. You can ask me more if you don't get what it means."

"It is not for me to question you, Your Highness. I need no justification, only orders."

"Okay, then I'll tell you." Henry went on to explain. "Where I'm from in the other land, sometimes kids who don't have anyone to take care of them get adopted by other people who become their parents. They are just as real and loved as others are. My birth Mom was too young to take care of me when I was born so Regina adopted me. She is my real mother. We've been apart for a while but we're all going to be together again one day soon, I just know it."

"I'll take your word for it, Your Highness."

"Don't call me 'Your Highness'. It sounds really weird."

"As you wish, Prince Henry."

Henry sighed. The habits were ingrained deep in these military types. The Commander was a tough one but Henry had a feeling that he had won the man's respect. A loyal soldier was worth his weight in gold.

* * *

_Winter forest_

"I'm cold," said Tink. Her breath clouded the air in front of her. The snow crunched under her feet.

"Yes, I heard you the first time," said Regina. "And the ten times after that."

"But that was before. I'm  _very_  cold now and I thought you should be aware of it. Why aren't you cold?"

"I'm used to it. I lived here for years."

"I think you got used to more than just the weather," Tink muttered. "Like being alone and getting your own way all the time."

"I'm a mother and therefore I am immune to whining complaints no matter how repetitive they may be."

"You must be happy to have seen Henry finally?"

Regina gave a tightlipped answer."Yes."

"It must be hard," Tink mused. "Letting him go off on the mission when you're still waiting to hold him after all this time. You thought you'd never see him again?"

"Yes."

"You're giving me one-word answers because I'm slightly irritating you, and because you know that I know you well enough to know that you're worried out of your mind right now. You're trying to hide it."

Regina's face was amused but not impressed, she knew what Tink was up to. "Yes".

Tink rubbed her hands up and down her shoulders as they trudged through the snow. She had on a green fuzzy jacket and boots with pom-poms and thick bobbly tights to keep warm. She much preferred the kind of temperatures on Neverland. Always pleasant, never changing. Unlike the island itself.

Regina was similarly attired for the cold with a long light-coloured cloak over her queenly satin gown. Her short dark hair brushed against the pure cream fur of the hood. It looked like she was carrying a bundle of blankets on her hip until a pair of curious green eyes peeped out. A little one observed the journey from her snuggly position.

"Are you sure about bringing Anna along for this?" said Tink.

"She's fine," said Regina dismissively.

"I don't understand why you tote her around everywhere with you. Royal children are hardly ever seen outside a nursery or official events. Can you not leave her with a nanny?"

"Where I come from ordinary people usually don't have full-time nannies. I raised Henry alone."

"But you weren't ordinary. Weren't you the queen of that town?"

"Yes, but I liked taking care of him and having him with me and being needed all the time. That world had more options for motherhood but for many people having a small child means that they go everywhere with you. I did it for Henry and I don't mind doing the same for Anna."

Tink quizzed her on her earlier wording. "You called Storybrooke 'where you were from' as if it were your home?"

"Because it was there that, for the first time in my life, I lived."

Thankfully Tink was either satisfied with those answers or they had given her enough to ponder about because Regina didn't intend to elaborate further. Her Storybrooke life as Mayor and mother only recalled the comparison with her earlier life as a villain and before that, her life as a reluctant young bride.

They walked in companionable silence for a while. Regina recognised the subtle characteristics of their surroundings though most would be fooled by the apparent sameness everywhere.

"We must be nearly there," said Regina. "From what Henry described, it sounded like they had almost reached the castle when the Witch found them."

"But they were so close!"

"Yes. I want to see if there's any traces of Emma here."

"Traces?!" Tink cried.

Regina swallowed hard and ignored the horrid images that came to mind. "No, I mean, there might be something left behind to tell us where the Witch has taken her. If she's still alive."

"Regina! How can you be so  _calm_? This is the woman you love we're talking about."

"My loving her does not preclude her from being taken away from me. In fact it's probably why she's in danger in the first place. Her life is as fragile as any other. Of course I could lose her. If she's already dead what can I do about it?"

Tink stared and wondered whether it was the loss of Daniel had made Regina jaded about love… or was it something else? "What happened between you and this... this Witch?"

Regina ignored the question. She was concentrating on something ahead They had reached a small clearing where the snow was disturbed and one of the trees had bare branches. It was the only one that did not have a thick burden of snow resting on its limbs.

"Look at that," Regina said, indicating with a nod. "See the tree? Someone or something was here since the last heavy snowfall."

"Do you think it could have been an animal? We're not too far from the town, maybe someone else came this way?"

"No, I can feel residual magic. Something strange happened here. Past the tree… do you see that?"

Tink turned a bit green around the gills upon seeing the streaks of blood in the snow and the dead deer laying nearby. The poor animal was now mangled and had been torn apart into a frenzy of strips. What kind of animal would play with a dead thing like that and not eat it?

"Cheeky widdle monkey," said Anna. She raised her chin to peer over her blankets.

"What did you see, Anna?" Regina said gently. "Did you see the monkey?"

"Bad monkey. Fog mean." Anna's further testimony was hard to understand. The child's mother would have been a better translator since Regina had yet to master Anna-speak.

Regina repeated what she thought she heard. "'Your sister Emma is a big brave girl'? Is that what you're saying? She is, isn't she. Very brave, like a storybook hero. Did you see what happened to her before you went away with Henry? Was she hurt? Did she have a boo-boo?"

Anna nodded. "Boo-boo. Wants Mommy kiss it better, honey."

"Did you see who hurt her?"

"Fog did it. I don't like fog now. Where my sistuh go?"

Regina had heard the story from Henry so she knew all about the stowaway frog that turned out to be the Witch in disguise. She also knew about the companion creature, that dreadful winged monkey. If there were any truth to the old rumours the Witch must have succeeded with her animal experiments to some extent. Even back then she was performing dark dangerous magic the likes of which had not been seen in centuries.

Magic that was so wicked it was never even named.

Tink sighed. "There's nothing else here. How are we going to find out where Emma has gone to?"

Regina shook her head slowly. "I don't know. There aren't any tracks in the snow. If the Witch took Emma there would be none to follow. Perhaps they left by other less-mortal means..."

Both women raised their heads and looked towards the gloomy overcast sky.

* * *

_Robin Hood's camp_

"It is going to rain tonight," said Much, shaking his head at the sky like a fussy housewife. "I knew we should have made camp elsewhere. I  _said_  it was too out-in-the-open here but did anyone listen to me?"

Will Scarlett, Little John, and Allan A' Dale all groaned at the complaint, seeing as how it had taken the group of Merry Men several days to settle on a good enough place to make camp. It was difficult to please everybody and impossible to please Much.

"I'm just saying," the servant Much went on defensively. "If we were still at Locksley we would be indoors right now. Therefore not in the rain."

Allan A' Dale rolled his eyes and spoke with his thick cockney accent. "Locksley has been taken over by that git Gisborne ainit. He stole Robin's estate proper he did."

"He should've killed him," Will Scarlett said in a low voice. "Gisborne, I mean. Robin should have done it when he had the chance."

"That isn't Robin's way." Little John glared fiercely at the two men who were almost boyishly young. Unlike his nickname implied he himself was a large broad man and there was nothing little about him. He was one of Robin's oldest and most loyal allies so the others deferred to him. Mostly.

"Killing we do not do," said Little John in his thick brogue of an accent, making it clear that it was to be the last word on the subject.

"Uh, I'm not bein' funny," said Allan, pointing to the forest surrounding the camp. "But isn't that Robin wif a dead girl in his arms?"

The four men stood up and gathered together, each squinting at the approaching trio. The leader of their gang, Robin Hood, and the teenager Tip who had joined their ranks to learn to fish, to shoot, and to survive in the woods. Robin was carrying an unconscious blonde woman in his arms.

"Is that Robin's fiance?" said Will.

Allan joked. "Do you think he had to knock her out to convince her to say yes?"

"Just as long as she doesn't want any dinner," grumbled Much. "There's barely enough for us as it is. I can't make two rabbits and one floppy carrot feed eight people! I'm not the Messiah."

Little John quelled the remarks with stern shake of his head. "A girl would have to be out cold to put up with you lot. If it is Robin's fiance you all are ta shut up and be gentlemen."

As soon as Robin came within hearing distance the men started asking questions about who the girl was and how she was injured. He told them about taking Tip for shooting practice and running into the Witch doing something odd to the unknown woman who was actually not his fiance. Robin laid her on some brush and the camp's supply of blankets that he asked a reluctant Much to gather.

"So you have no idea who this girl is?" said Will. He sounded a little suspicious.

Allan nodded hastily. "Yeah! How do we know she's not gonna stab us while we sleep?"

Robin seemed amused at their suspicions and gave them one of his enigmatic smiles. "She won't. Otherwise I would not have brought her here. I could hardly leave her to die in the snow. As soon as she wakes I intend to ask her who she is and where she is from so that I can help her get back."

The others groaned, though Little John managed to hide his much better. They would all end up helping with the quest no doubt.

"Master," said Much exasperatedly. "You can't keep adopting every lone wanderer you come across in the woods-"

Robin widened his eyes at them and tilted his head towards the young Tip at his side as a warning not to say anything more. The teenager had been the latest such adoption and he didn't want his new buddy to feel unwelcome. The teen had had plenty of experience with being made to feel like an outsider in life already and Robin wanted to show that not everyone in the world was so hateful. Tip was attuned to subtle feelings and would know straight away whether the others were accepting of a newcomer or not. Robin put his hand on the back of Tip's head and ruffled the short-cropped blonde hair as a gesture of reassurance to the teen. It was the same gesture he used with his son.

"Papa! Papa!" a high little voice squealed. A very young boy, barely old enough to be sure on his feet, ran towards Robin. He fell and said 'oof' just as he reached his destination.

Robin picked up his son from the ground and swung him high onto his shoulder. "Roland, have you been a good boy? Did you take a nap this afternoon."

"Yesth." Roland giggled. His father tickled him while pretending to brush dirt and leaves from his tiny green cloak.

"Good boy. If you are to grow into Nottingham's finest archer you will need to rest those eyes."

"Papa, who is that?" Roland pointed to the woman's form lying on the ground. "Is that my new mama?"

"No," Robin smiled at his son. "This is another lady, we are going to help her find her way home."

"Is she sick?"

"Just a little injured, buddy."

Will crouched over Emma and examined the blood stain on the side of her shirt. "We could take her over to Baelfire's manor? Maybe Belle will have something to heal her."

Allan knelt down as well and peered at the woman's face and features. "She's pretty aint she. Robin mate, are you sure you don't want to marry this one? Cos if you don't… I'm single, just sayin'."

Emma woke and sat up with a sudden gasp causing Allan to fall back. He yelped out of fright and the other men chuckled at him. Robin set Roland on his feet and immediately went to her side and started asking her if she was feeling unwell and if she could tell them who she was.

Emma stared unseeingly and gave no indication that she heard him or recognised the presence of anyone else. She was awake but unresponsive as though trapped in some form of semi-conscious catatonia. During his time serving in the Crusades, Robin had seen soldiers permanently left in such horrifying mental states after experiencing the trauma of war.

"Miss, can you hear me?" Robin persisted in questioning her. "We're here to help you."

No answer.

"A right loony she is," Allan muttered under his breath. "Best not to marry this one. No matter how pretty she is."

"Just to be clear then," Much cleared his throat. "She won't be wanting any dinner, yes?"

Robin lost his patience with the gang and sent them away to eat supper, including Roland who toddled off with Tip to play a game. He offered the silent guest some food and water and placed a blanket over her shoulders but she didn't react to any of the gestures. He started to talk to her and tell her about himself and his son and his life's work with the Merry Men. It was only when he got to the part about his fiance that there was any indication that Emma was listening at all.

She spoke in a monotone voice, still staring straight ahead. "I have a message for the Queen."

* * *

_Winter Castle, night_

"Want Mommieeeeee. Daddy put to bed." Anna was crying. Still. Her little voice was getting hoarse. She was clearly miserable and clinging to the only comfort she had which was Regina.

It was bedtime and apparently Daddy was the current favourite for the goodnight story and the tucking-in procedure. The toddler had been asking for her parents for two days straight. She obviously missed their presence acutely and was much too young to understand the situation. So far, Regina had avoided answering the question about where the Charmings were.

Mommy and Daddy weren't available. At worst, Mommy and Daddy were never coming back and in that case, at her age, their daughter would eventually forget and stop asking about them.

Regina was doing her best to soothe Anna to sleep. She held her and rocked her, swayed her and paced the halls, told stories about fairies and gave kisses, but nothing was working yet. The baby was already over-tired from her ordeal and becoming exhausted due to her nonstop crying. When she quietened down a few times, Regina tried to place her in the newly crafted crib in the nursery but as soon as she did Anna woke up and it started all over again.

It was lucky that Regina had no desire for her own bed. Ever since she'd undergone the Sleeping Curse she hadn't been able to sleep properly. The longer she avoided it, the more irritable and tired she became - and she liked it that way.

It reminded her of when she first got baby Henry. No matter how many baby books she had read before the adoption, nothing prepared her for how utterly mind-numbingly tiring motherhood was: getting up several times in the night for the baby, worrying all night before the first day of school, staying up late after a fight and blaming herself for her son's running away to Boston… it never ended.

Regina had yet to repay the sleep debt she had accumulated over the years. Now, with Henry leading a formation of guards on a special mission she had even more to worry about and no-one who could truly empathise to share it with.

"Where are you, Emma?" Regina shook her head, talking to herself.

Anna whimpered. "Stohwee."

"What do you want, sweetie?"

"Emma stohwee p'ease."

"A story about Emma?" Regina guessed. She thought for a minute and then smiled with mischief and began to recount the story of how she and Emma had met.

_"Once in a faraway land there lived a beautiful young bailbondsperson named Emma; she had long golden hair and rode a golden horse as she scoured the countryside looking for those who violated their pre-trial release conditions. She was very good at her job, but she was also lonely without knowing why and her only wish was to find the family she had lost long ago..."_

Anna was cradled in Regina's arms, eyes like twin emeralds in wrapt attention as she followed this new incarnation of the story of her sister's life. The last time that Regina had seen her former nemesis, Snow had introduced her to Anna and told her of the little girl's hero-worship of the sister she had never even met. She knew her only through the stories her parents told.

Regina continued.  _"When Emma stood at the gate of the mansion she became enchanted by the sight of the misunderstood Queen who had kept her son safe all these years. To Emma's dismay, the Queen did not like her at first (which was understandable as she was rather annoying at times) and though they quarreled often, it kept her from feeling so lonely."_

_"But the Queen herself had been lonely for many years and eventually she too became enchanted. (Luckily for Emma, because how else could someone put up with seeing that awful red jacket every day?). Both of them realised that they were happier together than they each were alone, and as they learned to share their son a new family was being made. Not only by blood, but forged by trust and forgiveness for their past mistakes."_

_"One day, they were in a stinky forest when Emma gave the Queen the promise of a kiss upon their return home. But it was not to be; fate intervened and the two became separated, sent to different lands with no way to cross from one to the other..."_

As Regina reached the end of her bedtime story she realised that the tiny body in her arms was a slack weight. Anna's eyes were closed. Finally, blessedly, peacefully closed!

_"And so the Queen slumbered on, both awake and yet still asleep, waiting for her beloved to return so that she might be brought back to life. She could hardly wait to yell at Emma for taking so long but she feared that she would never get the chance to see her again before her eyes closed for the final time. Their first kiss would not be the end of a story, it would be the beginning of a new one. The end."_

Regina leaned over and laid the sleeping angel in the crib. She kissed Anna's forehead, smoothed her nightie, and waited. When the the little girl slept on she tiptoed from the room and installed a Guard to the watch outside the nursery door, instructing him to fetch her immediately if the princess woke again during the night.

The weary Queen headed for her chambers and saw one of the castle's maidservants waiting outside. She was not in the mood to deal with any more business tonight.

"Yes? I'm about to retire for the night," Regina hinted.

The servant bowed her head in deference and stammered. "Of course, Your Majesty. Another time."

"Wait. How long have you been waiting to see me?"

"Four hours," the servant blurted out. "But I know Your Majesty has been with the little one. Begging your pardon."

Regina sighed and led the servant into her chamber. She asked the woman's name (Maisy) and wondered why she was waiting upon the Queen at her private chambers, rather than taking her question to the Head Housemaid.

"I - I've lost me job, ma'am," said Maisy, uncomfortable and looking around the stately chambers with wide-eyes. "I have nowhere to stay if I have to leave the castle tonight..."

"Why were you dismissed?"

"I was told there's no more work for me anymore. I worked in the castle kitchens, I plucked the swans. Now with Your Majesty's directive that the birds are favoured with the Crown's protection, I am made redundant."

"Surely there is other work," Regina murmured. She sat at her desk and took up a sheet of paper and pen. She wrote a quick directive and sealed it with her symbol (the branches of an apple tree encircled by a golden ring). She passed the paper over to Maisy.

"Take this to the Head Housemaid. You are to remain in your quarters in the servant's hall and suitable work will be found for you. Can you sew?"

"T-tolerably well, ma'am."

Regina softened her face a little but it did not go so far as a smile. "I need you to make a comfort object for my baby to sleep with. Her old one was a stuffed pig but it got lost in the woods. Can you have something ready by tomorrow night?"

"Oh yes, Your Majesty," cried Maisy. "For the little princess I will make the finest pig that ever was seen."

"That will do, thank you," Regina held up a hand to wave down the servant's enthusiasm. "Just make it cute and cuddly, with no small parts for her to pull off and swallow. Her favourite colour is purple. That's all, you may go."

The servant Maisy went away thrilled beyond words with the favour she had received. To stand in the Queen's very presence and be assigned such an important task! She told everyone she encountered of Her Majesty's beneficence and the word was getting around. The Evil Queen was gone.

Regina though, was completely oblivious to the chatter of servants and peasants. She kept herself busy (with such trivial issues of castle management and with mediating the disputes brought to her notice) for what she thought of as the selfish motive of keeping her mind occupied with something other than her own troubles. She did not give herself the credit of believing that she was winning the populace over with hitherto unknown acts of altruism. She dismissed her actions as merely sensible judgement.

It was late now. Regina changed into her nightgown out of habit and sat upon the edge of her bed. She was tired and could hardly keep her eyes open but she had no intention of going to sleep. She would fight it until the futile end.

_I'll just lay down and close my eyes for a moment. I will not sleep. I must not go to sleep._

As soon as her head hit the pillow Regina drifted off. She dreamed of pigs with curly yellow hair and then slipped into a deeper sleep where nightmares of fire and anguish never let up. Emma lay dead in the snow, her body torn into strips. Henry crouched over her, blood covered his fur and stained his jagged teeth, and then he flew off into the sky. Snow took her place at the dining table, weeping as she ate from a plate containing her own heart...

Regina's consciousness rescued her, it ripped her out of the netherworld and she jolted out of sleep with a start of fear.

She was awake, lying in her bed in the darkness of full night, but she could not move and her entire body felt heavy. It confused her. She struggled to breathe and couldn't cry out. Was she really awake? Or was she still asleep? It was so dark, were her eyes really open? Maybe this was just another horrible nightmare.

_Something is covering my mouth. Why can't I open my eyes. Why can't I move?_

There was a flash of gold, another one of silver, and the soft sound of breathing. Then Regina's hands were pinned down on the pillow above her head and someone heavy was sitting on her chest.

_Is this really happening... or is it all in my head?_

A voice whispered. "I have a message for the Queen."

* * *

_Robin Hood's Camp_

The next morning most of the Merry Men were still asleep when Much raised the alarm. Last night the camp consisted of five men, one teenager, one roly-poly toddler, and one strange woman who creeped them all out with her staring. Now they were down by one person. The strangest one, thankfully. Or not...

"She's gone!" Much cried, waking them all.

Robin jolted into a sitting position waking Roland who was sleeping next to him. "She must have left sometime during the night. Everyone, spread out and find her. Tip, can you watch Roland for a minute."

Tip nodded and took the little tyke's hand.

The gang searched the camp and its surrounding areas in the woods but no trace of Emma was to be seen. If she had left last night she had a significant headstart on them. It would be near impossible to track her since they didn't even know in which direction she might have headed.

Will returned and joined the others as they looked around their scanty belongings. "Did she take anything?"

"She stole my bread!" Much said indignantly. "I swear I had a quarter loaf."

From where he was sitting beside the campfire, Allan wiped the toasted crumbs off his mouth with a hasty swipe. "Yeah! What a thief. She stole Much's bread."

Little John lifted the camouflaged lid of the chest that contained the gang's stash of weapons. He surveyed the limited array of swords, long bows, and arrows that made up their armament, taking a mental tally of each item. Most of the weapons they had either fashioned themselves, stolen, or traded, and each had been either hard won or expensive so he knew immediately whether something was missing.

"That's not all she stole," Little John sounded grim. He looked up at Robin. "She's taken a dagger."

"Blimey," said Allan. "Guess it's good we're well shot of her then innit."

"Where would she go I wonder?" said Will. "She was injured. Surely she can't make it very far in that state."

Robin pressed the back of his knuckles against his mouth. "She doesn't need to. The Winter Castle is not that far from here. I think she went looking for the Queen."

It took barely a second for him to put the strange woman's escape and the missing dagger together and come up with danger. The threat to his fiance registered in his mind and without leaving any orders for the others Robin Hood took off at a sprint into the woods hoping that he would be in time to warn Regina.

But Emma had escaped hours ago during the first watch of the night and so by the time Robin reached the castle it was all over.


	9. Chapter 9

_Winter castle, Queen's chambers_

The hand which was covering Regina's mouth and preventing her from speaking suddenly moved away. There were shadows shifting about in the room as though filmy black sheets were hung from the ceiling, they flickered to reveal the identity of the person pinning her down. She saw a flash of golden hair and recognised immediately who it was.

"Emma!" Regina gasped. "What happened to you? How did you get here?"

Emma only stared at her without replying. It was a blank soulless stare, not judging or smirking like the way Regina had seen Emma look at her many times before. It was devoid of any emotion, creepily so. She didn't like seeing it and wanted to provoke something out of her.

"I see your breaking-and-entering skills are being put to good use. How did you slip past my guards?"

The staring continued. Everything was adding up to a strange conclusion. Since when did Emma resist countering an insult about her sketchy past with her own jab at Regina's? Since when was she brave enough to make a seduction move like this? Regina doubted that Emma would be ballsy enough to sit on her in the middle of the night without knowing she'd be well-received. What was she thinking?

"Can you get off me. It's hard to breathe," said Regina, trying not to show how discomforted she was in such a vulnerable position.

The weight on her chest shifted heavily as Emma leaned forward, still with one hand pinning both of Regina's above her head and knees up near her collarbones painfully pressing into her. She was close enough now to see the blade of a dagger trapped between the grin of Emma's teeth. The blonde was smiling but there was no humour in it.

"Emma, I said get off! What the hell is wrong with you. Why aren't you saying anything?"

It might have been a trick in the low darkness but for a second the other woman's fair skin took on a greenish tinge before it flickered away again.

"No," Regina realised. "You're not really here, are you."

Quick as a flash Emma's free hand snatched the dagger from her teeth and held it under Regina's chin. The Queen swallowed and felt the pain of the sharp edge on the delicate skin of her neck.

Disappointment fell over her, she had waited so long to see her again and this wasn't even real. It was some disguise. If only it had really been Emma who slipped into her chambers in the night and settled above her with far more romantic intentions. Instead her reward was to have her throat slashed by some magical fiend. A cruel trick sent by the Witch no doubt.

"What do you want!"

"I have a message for the Queen," the vision whispered.

It felt as if a static sound exploded in Regina's mind like white noise and she couldn't tell if it was only in her head or not. A voice spoke to her through Emma's lips:

_"I'm going to take everything from you. First your enemies, then your friends, and then your loved ones. I will take from you what you took from me..."_

Emma's doppelganger lowered her face and tilted like she was going to place her lips on hers. Regina panicked. She tried to struggle but the grip holding her down was too strong and the weight sitting on her chest sapped her physical strength.

Her magical strength was not affected, however, and she used a spell to throw her attacker off. She put too much force behind it. Emma ended up hitting the wall on the other side of the room, then slumped forward and lay still.

Regina untangled herself from the bedsheets and went over. Standing above the unmoving form, she had her hand poised and glowing with magic, ready to rid the world of the fiend ... until it groaned. She half-expected that it would turn to dust but apparently it had survived the impact.

"I have a message of my own," said Regina, naturally adopting the voice of her Evil Queen persona. "If you live long enough to relay it, tell your mistress not to waste my time. Do you know what I do to assassins who come for me in the night? Let me give you a hint: they never come back."

Emma's eyes flew open and she gasped against the magic crushing her throat. She turned on her side like she was choking or being sick. "No… please."

For the first time since the vision had appeared in the night wearing Emma's face there was emotion showing there and she looked  _real_. She looked terrified and completely aware of what was happening. The greenish tint flickered and faded across her skin again.

_Oh god. It is her but she's not herself! She's been in there the whole time, conscious on the inside, out-of-control on the outside._

Regina knelt on the floor and grabbed her flailing arms to turn her onto her front. "It's only a shade, it's not you. Fight it, Emma!"

She slapped the heel of her hand between Emma's shoulder blades to make her cough over and over like she had once when her young son had choked on a peanut. Emma fought against her like a drowning person gasping for air and trying to grab onto her for dear life. A small green orb the size of a marble flew out of her mouth and clinked across the floor. It rolled away unnoticed and then its victim fell slack as a ragdoll.

"Emma? Emma? Can you hear me?"

* * *

It was barely first light when Tink saw Robin Hood reach the castle. Inside, everyone seemed harassed and in a flurry of activity, more so than usual due to the Queen's scare during the night. None of the staff had been told exactly what happened and therefore they all knew. It didn't help that wild rumours were flying around, everything from 'the Evil Queen is back!' to speculation about her sexual adventures.

Regina's personal guard raised the alarm and summoned Tink for her sake, as well as Hook for some reason. It was a miracle he was lucid enough for it, given that he'd been on the turps last night.  _He smelled like it too_ , Tink thought. How unfortunate that he still looked handsome in that state. Not that she was going to pay any attention to that of course!

Whatever the green fairy expected upon entering the bedchamber in the early morning hours it was not what she found: Regina, in a flimsy slip of a nightgown kneeling on the floor, trying desperately to rouse an unconscious Emma Swan. It wasn't clear what had happened or how Emma had even gotten inside the castle but it was obvious that she was gravely injured.

_"It's a miracle she was still walking around," said Doc, examining the side of Emma's torso under her filthy shirt. "With a wound this severe she could have bled to death."_

_"Then how did she get here?" said Hook. "I've seen stab wounds like that before, nobody walks away and lives to tell the tale."_

_Regina bit her lip. "It was the Shade. The Witch infected her with magic that controlled her every move, that's how she got here. She wouldn't have felt pain or fatigue. It may have saved her life."_

_"What now?" asked Tink worriedly. "How do we treat her? Will she… be ok?"_

_Doc pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose. "Let her rest. Wait until she comes to. The colour ought to fade from her skin soon enough."_

_Though Emma's skin only held a tinge of green she remained pale and sickly-looking._

That was the last Tink saw of Regina. Now, she related everything that had happened for Robin's benefit, interrupting his frantic warnings when he ran in that his fiance was in danger from a strange woman who he had rescued. He didn't know the history and he didn't know Emma, so he was indignant to hear that the person who had attacked his fiance was currently convalescing in her bed. Apparently he was frustrated that he had been too late to save her. She had saved herself.

Robin demanded to see Regina immediately.

"She might be in the nursery," Tink suggested when they couldn't find her in her chambers, throne room, or any of the other usual places.

He seemed surprised to hear that. "The Queen never mentioned having a child. I did not realise."

_Oh, rats!_  Tink mentally kicked herself. This was Regina's stuff to explain, she couldn't very well go into everything to do with Henry and Emma right now. It would be difficult enough to explain Anna's presence, and it really was up to Regina to tell her fiance her own history. She was heading into Bad Friend territory if she spilled something she wasn't supposed to.

"No, it's not her child. It's her godchild, Anna, the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming."

"Ah. Perhaps Anna and my son Roland might turn out to be playmates then. How many years is the young lass?"

"Regina said she's about two, but she toddles around and talks very well already. She comes out with some cute things."

"Yes, it's a great age," Robin said fondly. "It goes by quickly indeed. I am heartily sorry that my wife Marian will not got the chance to see her son grow and become a man. He was her world. I only hope that Roland is not entirely deprived of love and care. I do not believe that men are able to be both father and mother. There is something in the motherly touch, only women have it."

Tink smiled awkwardly though she didn't refute him. She was reminded by her earlier conversation with Regina and how she didn't want to marry for those kind of reasons as she had once before. It left her feeling torn though. Little Roland whoever he was deserved to have a mother, but would Regina again come to resent a stepchild for whom she was obligated into caretaking duties? Tink thought Robin was probably underselling his parenting skills as well. Was that really his main reason for wanting to marry her?

The fairy realised now how upset the younger Queen must have been in the early stages of her marriage especially when the True Love spell had led her to the man with the lion tattoo. What did it all mean? How could Robin and Regina really be a fated romance if both had fallen in love with other people and even now they were only considering marriage for reasons of such… banality.

When was this great love story supposed to start?

"It's not," said Robin, furrowing his brow.

Tink spluttered. "What?"

"I said: 'it's not blood.' That can't be what it looks like. Or is it?"

The thief pointed down the hall to the floor outside to the nursery that had lately become Anna's room. For the second time Tink freaked out at the sight of a set of bloody drag marks and when the two of them raced to the doorway they saw it.

The Pawn guard who had been assigned to the night watch there was laying on the floor slain. It appeared that he had been stabbed several times in the chest, right through his thick leather armour, and then dragged inside the baby's room and left for dead. There had been no attempt to conceal the murder further and the brazenness of the crime glared.

"Oh no," Tink swallowed a cry. She looked over to the crib in the corner, which was as silent as the rest of the room. She moved slowly towards it, afraid of what she might find there.

It was only a partial relief that the crib was empty.

"Who or what manner of thing did this!" wondered Robin, aghast at the state of the crib.

There were slash marks in the white bedding and streaks of blood stains that must have come from using the same weapon with which the guard had been killed. But there was no lifeless little body lying there in the void and not enough blood for her to be… Tink shuddered, unable to complete the rest of her thought.

"Where is Anna," Tink whispered. "Do you think Regina has seen this?"

"I pray she has not." Robin was grim as he put a hand to Tink's shoulder to lead her away from the awful sight.

"Come, Miss Bell, we must find the Queen at once and begin a search for the child."

* * *

_Summer forest_

"Wake up, Prince!" The voice near Henry's ear made him jump a foot off the ground. It was not long after dawn and he had been asleep a second before. The Elites had made camp for a few hours to rest before they took on the Summer Palace, which was now not far away at all. He couldn't see anyone else around.

Henry opened his eyes blearily and sat up. A young female Elite in a Pawn's uniform was sitting on her haunches beside him. She was pretty, with fair skin and long blonde hair tucked away in intricate braids around her head. She couldn't have been much older than he was and though she looked to be of slight build underneath her leather armour, Henry figured that she was not to be messed with if she was an Elite already.

"Um, what's going on?" asked Henry. He smoothed his own hair down self-consciously.

"We're leaving soon. You'd better get a move on, Your Highness," the girl said, injecting a bit of sarcasm in the title. She threw a bundle into his lap. "Here, your Mommy sent you some stuff."

Henry frowned, annoyed at the jibe, and busied himself with looking through whatever Regina had sent him. He held up the top garment, a leather chest-guard with silver filigree branches reaching across it.

"Is this-?"

"It's a Pawn's uniform, yes. Not that you deserve it."

The way she said the last part under her breath made Henry think that she was disgruntled and for some reason he felt like apologising. Apparently the Elites weren't going to accept him as leader as easily as he'd thought.

"I didn't ask for any of this," said Henry. "I just want to help."

"Whatever." The soldier rolled her eyes. "Do you know how long it took me to get into the Elites? I trained six hours a day every day since my third birthday. It took four years for my application to be accepted and the guard I replaced after the last Unboarding was a veteran of the Ogres War. He made it to  _adulthood_. When I put on this uniform every day it is the best day of my life. What have you to done to deserve wearing it?"

"Nothing," Henry admitted quietly. Suddenly his idea of co-opting Her Majesty's Elite Guards and leading them on the rescue mission to the Summer Palace didn't seem so crash-hot. He had meant no disrespect but she was right. What made him think that he should have command over any army?

He wasn't from here. He wasn't trained. He didn't know how to fight or ride a horse or anything like that. He sure didn't have knowledge of this realm and its people. Why should they listen to him?

"Join us in the clearing when you're ready," said the girl, springing to her feet.

"Wait!" he called to her back. "What's your name?"

She turned her head and glared. "You are Royalty are you not? You can call me whatever you want but everyone else calls me Jenna."

Once she was gone Henry undressed and put on his new uniform. It fit perfectly but he felt odd wearing it after the comments Jenna had made about it's importance to her and what it meant to be an Elite. But his Mom had sent it for a reason and not wearing it would likely be viewed as a greater insult.

When he joined the other guards in the clearing they were all waiting for him, standing around in a circle and it made him feel even more like a conspicuous tag-along who was further delaying the proceedings. All at once they each knelt down on one knee and bowed their heads. They were so well-trained they even completed unspoken orders in unison.

After a few seconds the Commander rose first and presented the sheathed sword that was laying across the flats of his palms. The sheath was black leather and curled with silver and embedded with red jewels representing apples. It was more ornate than the ones the other soldiers carried.

"Prince Henry, you are now one of us. Allow me to present your guards, the finest warriors in the Winter Kingdom. We are at your disposal for the protection and service of the Royal family." The Commander stood and swept his arm out as the circle of guards rose to attention.

They stood silently and it took Henry a minute to realise that they were waiting for him to speak. But what should he say?! Should he give a pep speech? Was he supposed to thank them for welcoming him into their ranks or thank them for serving him? Was he supposed to act like the Prince or the Pawn? He did  _not_  feel like one of them.

Gingerly, Henry took the sword and gulped.

"Now, let's see what you can do with it." The gruff Commander gestured with his head towards one of the soldiers for her to move forward.

Jenna stepped into the ring of soldiers and readied herself in a fighting stance, despite having no weapons in hand. She levelled a stare from under a determined brow. As though he could read her mind Henry knew what her challenge was, or rather, her promise:

I am going to  _destroy_  you, Prince.

* * *

_Winter castle, Royal Gardens_

They found Regina outside in the snow in nothing else but slippers and the nightgown she had slept in, and apparently she had been out for a while. She was holding Anna who, thankfully, was wrapped more warmly in a blanket. Tink was relieved to see the baby unhurt and not upset. Perhaps she didn't realise or hadn't been awake during what happened in the nursery?

Robin rushed to Regina's side and exclaimed. "Milady, you must be freezing! You should not be out here in such undress."

He made quick work of untying his cloak so that he could drape it around Regina's shoulders. She didn't refuse the gesture, the only sign of her discomfiture was a millisecond where her eyebrow furrowed.

"Hi hi," Anna chirped happily. She reached out towards the newcomer for a hug and he naturally took her into his arms.

"Hello there, princess. If it pleases Your Royal Highness I shall introduce myself, my name is Robin Hood but you may call me Robin."

Anna frowned like she was trying to assess him. "Wobbuh?"

The thief laughed heartily at her attempt at pronouncing his name due to her trouble with 'R' sounds. "Close enough. I suppose it is apt, I  _am_  a robber of sorts. I hope you won't hold that against me," he glanced at Regina here to give her a smile, "and I hope your godmother won't either."

Robin started a game of bouncing Anna around and pretending to throw and dip her, which set the toddler off into fits of squeals. Tink took Regina aside and they watched the pair for a few minutes before discussing in soft voices.

"What happened," asked Tink. "Are you ok? Have you been out here all this time?"

"Yes," Regina said, gathering the cloak over her chilled bare arms. "After what happened with Emma I left you all and went to check on Anna and I found-"

"The crib? Robin and I saw the nursery and-"  _the guard._

Regina nodded her head. "I panicked. I grabbed Anna and ran. I couldn't think beyond what almost- what could have happened to her."

Tink gathered her friend hands and held them. "Hey, it's ok. That didn't happen. Anna's fine, see? Little Miss Popularity over there has won a new heart. She doesn't seem affected by what happened, whatever it was."

"It was the Shade of envy." Regina recovered her composure and got back down to the business of figuring out what had happened. "While Emma was infected she must have killed Torin to get into the nursery. She may not have been aware of her actions and when her cognition returns it's possible that she won't even know what she's done."

"But if she was here for you under the Witch's orders why would she go to Anna's room first? And if she did want to attack Anna, why did she… you know, let her live?"

"The Shade took over control of Emma's body but her mind was still there. It may have been influenced by Emma's own emotions and taken out her rage against Anna. Any repressed jealousy towards her sibling would have been easily available for the Shade to co-opt, that's why her skin turned green. When I found Anna she was still sleeping but the sheets and mattress were slashed around her. Something stopped Emma from killing her sister."

"What?"

"I don't know. In any case, the Shade came for me next. At first I thought it was Emma and then she attacked me … I almost killed her when I thought it wasn't her. She was trying to fight the infection, I saw it in her face. That's how strong she is."

"Maybe it's all the same thing."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, this Shade magic took over Emma's body and accessed her jealousy, what if her love got in the way and fought back? It might explain how both you and Anna survived."

Tink went on to update Regina with recent developments: that Robin had arranged with the Elites for the room be cleared securely and arrangements were being made for the slain guard's Unboarding ceremony to be held as soon as possible. There would be no physical trace of last night's events left in the castle by the time they returned, apart from the lone evidence that it ever happened … Emma herself.

"Aren't you going to ask how she is?" said Tink.

"Why would I?" Regina looked away. "Regardless, I assume you're about to tell me."

"She's doing ok this morning according to Doc, still hasn't regained consciousness though."

"She will."

Tink was confused by her friend's indifference. "Did something happen last night? Apart from the obvious I mean."

"No."

"But I thought you'd want to be at her bedside. Close by."

"What would be the point of that? If she dies, my sitting there watching will not prevent it. If she lives, I'm sure I'll hear about it eventually. She won't know who I am anyway."

"Regina!" Tink was shocked. "You don't want to see her? How can you do this to yourself!"

However much she tried, Tink wasn't able to convince the stubborn woman into going to see the one she loved. Regina was too,  _too_  stubborn! The fairy suspected that, as usual, she was trying to save herself pain by causing even worse. The Queen was helpless in doing anything to bring Emma back from death but it was in her control whether or not to watch it happen.

Robin joined them again with a thoroughly wound-up toddler who distracted them all from the grim events of the night with her infectious giggles. He was very attentive to Regina, asking how she fared and offering to fetch any comfort she might enjoy. Tink watched the couple, seeing them interact for the first time, and though they got along in a congenial way there was something missing in her view. That spark of chemistry as is normally evident between the newly engaged.

They bantered and Regina snarked at him but sometimes her parries went unmet. His deference was chivalrous … yet it seemed too honourable for the former Evil Queen who, if one were to be honest, could give as good as she got (with interest). Robin clearly wasn't sure whether to take her seriously when she spoke of threatening her guards with novel tortures in order to increase castle security.

_They just don't mesh well together_ , Tink thought with frustration. They weren't a good match anymore, if they ever had been. Robin was squeaky clean and resiliently optimistic despite being a widowed thief. Regina brooded over everything and her dark past wasn't entirely behind her; she needed someone with an edge, someone who knew what it was like to be fucked over by everyone around her and to fight back with whatever weapon happened to be available, morality be damned.

Tink went over in her mind the spell she had cast with the stolen pixie dust, checking for clues as to where it had gone wrong. It wasn't just that she wanted to help her friend understand, it was also because she had an intellectual desire to know why her magic had misfired! The spell that was meant to lead Regina to her True Love had pushed her towards Robin. Why?

* * *

_Winter castle, Queen's chambers_

In no time at all Regina's patience wore thin. She tried to resist going up there but second-hand accounts of Emma's condition did nothing to satisfy her need to know everything. It wasn't the first time she found herself hovering outside her own private chambers, dithering over whether it would be a good idea to go in or not.

Anna was off playing fairy games with Tink. Robin had gone to send for Roland to join him at the castle. Regina had nothing else to do, or rather there were too many things but none she could do anything about at present.

Emma never left her thoughts, occupying that same center of her mind that Henry did - the place of constant worry.

_Why should I bother going to her? She won't remember me and it will be too hard to be the only who remembers. Somebody will make quick work of telling her that I'm the Evil Queen and then I'll be back to square one with her, hated and mistrusted. Without knowing what we went through together during the time we had in Storybrooke and Neverland, without knowing how we fought, at first against one another and then much later on the same side… she won't understand. She won't know_  me _._

_When we left Neverland our relationship (what relationship?) had been at a new juncture. It felt like we were becoming close... close to starting something new. Now, we're about as far apart as if we were still in different realms._

Just as she finished convincing herself that was not going to go in, Regina found herself already standing beside the bed running her gaze over Emma's unconscious and injured form.

In the daylight it was even more apparent that she was in a bad way. She was filthy from head to toe and sour-smelling from running around the woods in the same clothes for days. Her skin had returned to its previous colour though it was pale and marred at some extremities by the early stage of frostbite, for which treatment she had been wrapped in blankets and left with a well-stoked fire heating the room.

Regina sat on the edge of the bed and crossed her arms, surprised that she still found her as compelling as ever.

"I'm not going to just sit here and wait for you to rejoin the land of the living, Emma Swan. Neither have I been pining for you since I left Storybrooke, I barely noticed your absence. In fact my life is much easier without your presence in it. You annoy me less when you are unconscious. Or is it more? I don't know.

"You might be surprised to hear that I'm not pleased to see you. When I underwent the Sleeping Curse I never wanted to see you again. That was the point.

"I sacrificed much to give you and Henry a new life and this is how you repay me? You ended up back here anyway! This wasn't supposed to happen. I sent you both away to save you, for Henry's sake. If it had been possible I would have taken him myself and escaped. For my son I could easily have left everyone behind including you and never looked back. But I couldn't escape my own curse, I had to let him go. I would never wish him to grow up alone … like you did. You were the next best choice to take care of him, the only one I could almost trust.

"I've hated you. Because you were there for him and I wasn't, you had a year with him that I will never have. I spoke to him yesterday and oh Emma, he's matured so much in the blink of an eye and he seemed fine. I am relieved that you haven't ruined him. I half expected to see a different boy but he is still the Henry I remember. I wanted him to be happy and that's what hurts the most because he was able to be happy without me. Whereas I, I cannot live for not having him in my life. I hardly want to.

"Even now he isn't here with me.  _Your_  son had the brilliant idea of playing hero and joining a rescue mission. I wonder where he gets that from!"

Regina smiled wistfully. "I couldn't be prouder of him."

"Did you find happiness this last year without my interference? It seems we're at cross purposes lately, one of us being unconscious and the other not. I haven't forgotten the promise you made me in Neverland and though you have no memory of it I wonder if you will ever make good on it. Earlier this morning you were sitting on my chest and I assure you it was less than comfortable. In future I hope you will treat my breasts with more respect."

She finished at a whisper, leaning over with her lips close to Emma's. Before she could stop herself Regina kissed her. It was only a small fleeting touch and in that instant she knew what she had done. This was the reason why she should never have allowed herself to come here. It was torture. Like giving a sip of water to someone dying of thirst.

When Regina pulled away her heart was still fluttering wildly and she waited to see if anything happened. But nothing did. There was no pulse of rainbow light and Emma did not awaken with a gasp and wide eyes full of shock and love. Regina cursed herself for even starting to hope that it might be true. How devastating it was to be the only one in love. _Of course it's not true! You're delusional. You both hate each other. She thinks you're a monster._

Emma lay there, oblivious to the fingers brushing a blonde lock of hair behind her ear. The only sign of life was her gentle breathing.

There was a knock on the chamber door and the Queen only got up for the pleasure of yelling at whoever it was to go away. It was Hook delivering a message that had just arrived at the castle gate. Regina was annoyed at the interruption and told him so.

"You need to see this," Hook insisted. The pirate peered around her, trying to locate Emma with his eyes.

Regina made no move to step aside from the doorway and let him in or even to let him see past her. She scanned the note quickly and its contents left her uneasy.

"This can't be right. Who sent it?"

"It's from the war front, I suppose one of the 'old' seasoned warriors in command there sent it. Maybe a fifteen-year-old boy perhaps. How can you, a mother yourself, sleep at night after sending other people's children off to die?"

"I am not going to have my morals questioned by a degenerate pirate from the Caribbean," said the Queen, unable to ignore his pointed jab at her politics. "I have never condoned the conscription of children. I simply don't have the resources to prevent the abduction of every child in every village in the Kingdom for nothing but a pointless war against those brainless barbarians, the Ogres."

"It's a bit of a moot point now, isn't it? Bit of a relief for the Kingdom. Good riddance."

"No," Regina said slowly. "I wouldn't make plans for drunken festivities yet."

Hook tipped his head down skeptically at her paranoia. "You just received a note from the army saying that all of the Ogres have been mysteriously killed. Only you would think that a bad thing."

"Did you stop to consider who might have accomplished such a feat? Given that the realm has been battling the Ogres for centuries don't you think whoever is powerful enough to wipe them out ought to be worth some caution?"

"You think it's the Witch?" he guessed. "But why would she kill your enemies?"

"What I think is-"

That strange staticky voice echoed in her mind.  _"I'm going to take everything from you. First your enemies..."_  The Ogres qualified as her enemies, even though they were the enemy of many others. Was this the start of the Witch's plan for her?

Regina snapped out of her sudden daze. "I need to go. Move out of my way."

Hook raised his eyebrows at her and held his arm across the doorway preventing her from leaving. "I need to see her."

"She's not awake yet."

"Let me know if you're going to try True Love's Kiss so that I can watch?" he joked. "I hear it's all that it's cracked up to be. Breaks curses and such. I have the pleasure of knowing first-hand how skilled Emma is at kissing."

"You're lying and you're pathetic. You've never kissed her."

"I didn't the first time,  _she_  kissed me. When we were on Neverland together we shared a moment in the jungle one night. The lady wanted to express her gratitude for my efforts at redeeming my formerly bad self and for saving her father's life. Emma couldn't resist our connection nor fight her desires any longer, she grabbed my collars and planted one on me."

Regina rolled her eyes at the pirate's lecherous arrogance and angrily slapped his arm out of her way as she passed. She never looked back, heading to her throne room with her usual purposeful stride.

* * *

Hook watched Regina go, as graceful and in-control as ever and yet still a formidable force to be reckoned with.

He didn't know what to make of the Queen lately. He suspected she was something of a rival to his suit with regards to Emma Swan, but he didn't really care. It was obvious that she did though. He'd swear that jealousy suffused Regina's face when he told her about the kiss and that was exactly his motivation in assessing his opponent. She never was very good at hiding her emotions. She'd be rubbish at cards, much more suited to the game of chess where she could control the entire board and use others around her to carry out her attacks. Had she really fallen for Swan?

Hook had been unfazed by sparring with Baelfire over Emma's attentions, and  _they_  had history and a child together. What did Regina have? What she had was the distinct disadvantage of not being a man for a start, and clearly Emma liked men since she was attracted to him… Then there was her family. If there's one person the Charmings would less like to accept than a pirate as a match for their daughter it'd be the Evil Queen. _It'll never happen,_ he thought with confidence.  _Sorry, Your Majesty, but this isn't exactly a fair fight. You lost before it started._

As soon as Hook stepped into the Queen's chambers he saw that Regina had been wrong. Emma had already woken up. She was rubbing her head and complaining about feeling like she'd fallen in front of a subway train.


	10. Chapter 10

_Queen's chambers_

Emma groaned and sat up holding her head. She must have been suffering the worst hangover of her life judging by the way her eyes were throbbing. Her skull felt as if her brain were clanking around inside it like a moving truck full of furniture. Nausea churned in her stomach.

In the few seconds it took for her to wake and look around the room, she realised that the fairytale stuff of her dreams had been real. The portal, the castle, the Witch… those had actually happened. There were some strange elements to the dreams that could not be real though - she had vague feelings of envy and hate associated with them. She had been doing something to someone, hurting them perhaps? Or had it been the other way around?

She tried closing and opening her eyes again but everything was still blurred. What was this place? She was in a large bed with an elegant canopy. The room's decor was austere and the decorator must have favoured the colours black and white and slate grey. There was a dressing table covered with small bottles and cosmetics in front of a large mirror. Filmy curtains barely hid the open doors to the balcony on her left.

Emma turned her head too quickly and moaned in pain. "Ohhh shit, I feel like I got hit by the subway. Twice."

The image of a strange man she'd met recently came into her field of vision. He had ice-blue eyes, a swarthy face, and chin covered in several days' scruff. It was that pirate who turned up to her apartment to molest her with an unwanted kiss. The one who had brought her and Henry to this world. They had been thrust into danger immediately upon arriving.

"I much prefer that a woman is wide awake when she's in my bed," said Hook. He smiled at her in a way that he probably intended to be charming.

"You 'prefer'? Did that sound less rapey in your head?" said Emma, cold as ice. "Just to be clear, I'm not interested. And I know this is not your bed."

Emma reached under the covers and retrieved a pair of balled up socks that she'd felt under her legs upon waking. She held them up like she was presenting evidence at court. They were fluffy bed socks covered in red apples and had 'RM' stitched into them.

"These yours?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Not a chance." Hook conceded. "You're right. This is the Queen's chamber and you're in her bed. Do you remember what happened last night?"

"Uh, yeah," Emma lied easily. "Bits and pieces. Why do I feel like I've been hit by several trucks though?"

"You are recovering from a magical infection. I hear you were near death when you were found here after making your way from the woods. You've had a rough night, Swan. Not the first time that's been said about one of the Queen's bedmates. She has had a great many, I hear."

"Good. I like a woman who knows what she's doing." Emma let her expression show disapproval of his pathetic attempt at shaming Regina for her sexuality.

Apparently Hook missed the hint though because he gave her a lecherous smirk full of suggestion. "She's always welcome to join us if that's what you'd like."

"Do you really think that sex is a high priority for me right now? I'm worried about my family. Where are Henry and Anna?"

"Anna is safe, she's here at the castle. Henry never made it."

"What!" Emma jerked her head and regretted the motion instantly. "They were together when I told Henry to run. How did Anna make it here without him? Where is he now?"

"Alas I don't know."

"I have to go," said Emma. She flipped the covers and went to push herself out of bed too fast. As soon as she tried to stand up her head swirled with the change in elevation and she fell back to the mattress with a thump.

Hook reached to steady her. "Steady on, Swan! Wait till you get your sea legs under you."

_I have to find Regina,_ thought Emma, frustrated by her current bedridden state.  _That's why I came here. Then I have to find my son._   _Then I have to go find out what happened to my-_

She couldn't say it even in her own private thoughts. She couldn't call them her 'parents' without feeling ashamed. It did not seem real to her yet, having only met them for so short a time before losing them. She had dismissed their stories as crazy yet acted like a jealous brat upon meeting her little sibling. It didn't seem right to claim them as her own. They were  _Anna's_  parents. If the baby was now an orphan like her, Emma felt she owed it to her to find out for certain.

Her family was scattered across the realm and all she wanted was to herd them together in her arms where she could keep them safe.

"I need to speak to Regina," Emma pleaded with Hook and placed her hand on the leather of his forearm. "Please, will you have the Queen summoned to me? I cannot go to her. I feel very ill."

Hook seemed surprised by her sweet tone and sudden turn of mood but didn't think anything of it. He got up and bowed toward her on his way out. "As you wish, my Lady."

Emma watched him go with a plastered smile on her face.

_I can't believe it! He is jealous of her. Over me. Regina and I haven't even met and he's trying to put forward his suit by making shitty slurs about her character. But why? As far as he knows I don't even remember her. Maybe he has some reason to think that she would make a move on me… Why else would he think of her as a threat?_

_He lied. There's no way he's really going to find Regina for me._

The second he was gone her fake smile vanished. Emma threw off the covers and sat up again. She moved slower this time and let herself adjust to being upright. The world swirled in her vision again but not enough to make her keel over this time. It took several minutes for her to find her feet successfully, and an eternity could have passed in the time it took for Emma to make it across the room by leaning on bits of furniture or the walls. But she was persistent and eventually made it to her destination.

When Emma reached the doorway she had to stop to congratulate herself, or rather, she had to stop for oxygen since she had exhausted herself of that necessary resource.

She poked her head out the doorway and looked left and right down two identical stone corridors.

"Now," she panted. "Which way to the Queen?"

* * *

_Summer forest_

Jenna was ready to pounce on Henry to begin their sparring exercise. The other Elites surrounding them were too well-trained to cheer her on or do anything but watch eagerly while standing at attention. He stepped back quickly and held up his hands in surrender.

"Wait!" said Henry. "I can't fight. I don't really belong here. The only fighting I've ever done is playing games on xbox."

"Playing? What's that?" wondered one of the other young Pawns in the circle of guards around them.

Jenna huffed at the other soldier and crossed her arms. "It's a thing children of noble birth do, Boris. The rest of us don't get a choice about whether we have to fight. We have to survive."

Henry looked around at them all while he spoke but his eyes lingered on Jenna several times. "Please, I've only been in this world a few days but I know there's a lot I don't understand. You're right, I didn't grow up like you guys did but I'm here now. My parents are both in danger and my grandparents might already be dead. I just want to find them and I need your help...

"I forfeit."

Henry laid his still-sheathed sword on the ground at his feet. Jenna watched with growing offense, more so because of his peaceable gesture than she would have been had he fought with dirty tactics. The only tactic that was unbeatable was your opponent refusing to fight in the first place.

"I don't want to waste time fighting with friends in order to prove myself," said Henry. "My family needs me."

"Well said! You have the heart of a true prince," said the Commander, nodding with approval. "Let that be a lesson for all of you, Elites. Sometimes a warrior must know when  _not_  to fight. One or two of you have yet to learn that. The mission takes precedence over personal trials."

The Commander then gave them orders to move out. They were to march on to the Summer castle and as they were so close to where the last enemy attack had taken place they were to exercise extra caution. He reminded them all of the details of their mission for the Queen and made it clear that their priorities now included protecting her son at all costs.

Henry went along with the others but none of them spoke to him. Jenna was positively glowering and every time he looked at her she seemed to be trying to punish him with her glares. The other young guards ignored him and he got the feeling that they were also resentful of him.

He sighed. This Royalty thing wasn't as easy as it had looked for Snow White and Prince Charming in his storybook. The others hated him for growing up privileged and in a place distant to theirs in a way that was more than just physically inaccessible, they hated him for trying to join them … there was no way to make them like him.

_Just like at home in New York,_  Henry thought glumly. The other kids could tell he was different, they knew he wasn't really one of them and would soon be gone so they didn't bother getting to know him. In all likelihood he wouldn't end up as a real soldier here. He was a Prince by birth and an Elite in uniform only. It was superficial and after the mission was over he would almost certainly rejoin his mother(s) at the castle. He didn't belong anywhere else.

_Mom, please find Emma soon_.  _She needs to remember us. I need her to. The three of us have to stick together._

They weren't far off now. Henry was at the back of the group, trailing behind the others as the last guard in the ranks, when he noticed Jenna fall back as well. She walked at his side, keeping her eyes ahead or scanning the forest for danger.

"We're not friends," said Jenna. She spoke low and out of the corner of her mouth.

"Why do you say that?" said Henry.

Jenna rolled her eyes. "Earlier you said: 'I don't want to waste time fighting with friends'. You and I are nothing of the kind. You're a prince. I'm a soldier."

"So?"

" _So_ … we would never have crossed paths if you weren't on this mission. You wouldn't fight me. Is it because I'm a girl and you think you're better than me?"

Henry stammered. "What? N-no, I don't think you're a girl! I mean-"

"Right," scoffed Jenna. She stole a look at the group ahead to make sure they were still out of range. "Thanks a lot. I'm the youngest grade of Elite here apart from you, that's why Commander Bishop paired us together. The others have all fought each other. By forfeiting, you robbed me of a victory and made me look weak in front of the older guards. On your Royal authority they will likely never fight me either… my career will languish and I'll lose the opportunity to learn valuable fighting skills from them. If don't fight, I will die."

"I'm sorry," said Henry, knowing that it was a weak apology at best. How on earth was he to deal with being around Jenna all the time? An unsettling fix of butterflies and awkwardness settled in his stomach every time they interacted.

"My family relies on the money I send home," said Jenna. "The Queen's remuneration for the Elites extends to our entire families. We see them but little and everybody knows that our dying in battle is not only expected, it is acceptable."

"But that's awful! Don't you want to live? Grow up like a normal kid and stuff? You must miss your family. I'll talk to my Mom, she probably doesn't know about this. I'll get her to make it so you guys can go home sometimes."

Jenna looked at him fiercely. "Stop interfering! Don't you get it? This is our life. I  _want_  to do this for Her Majesty and to bring honour to my family. When I die I want it to mean something. Who are you to come in from the outside and say my sacrifice is not worth it? It is to me."

"Do whatever you like. But I'm a Prince, so I'm ordering you not to sacrifice yourself to save me. Ever."

Jenna gaped in horror. "You can't do that!"

"I just did."

Henry sped up and outpaced her, leaving Jenna as the last guard in the ranks. He turned barely over his shoulder to say, "I won't tolerate that sort of bluntness, soldier. Next time it's: 'You can't do that,  _Your Highness_ '".

* * *

_Winter Castle, Room of the Queen's Board_

Queen Regina spent the morning at the Table of War going over military matters and the state of the Winter Kingdom in the wake of the Ogrecide. As her first order of business she demanded that the war children be brought home. Those who survived that is. There were many families who would not be welcoming their children back home.

_I should not have kissed her..._

The rest of Regina's morning had been taken up by consultations with representatives of common people. Of course they had a laundry list of complaints, ranging from trivial to serious in importance. Dealing with petty arguments tested her patience sorely. There was so much wrong with this land and Winter's resources were already spread thin. She was alone now, working in the quiet.

_I could have spared myself the knowledge that she is never to be mine. I could have clung to the delusion that I had a chance._

If Regina's patience was the first casualty of the morning, her ability to concentrate on work was the second. Ever since a green-tinged violent Emma Swan turned up in her bedroom in the early hours she had thought of little else. At present, her 'attacker' was upstairs recovering in bed in the Queen's own chambers and had yet to awaken.

_She didn't wake up for you. She slept on. There's your proof._

"She wasn't cursed!" Regina gritted her teeth and spoke to the empty room. "It proves nothing."

Damn that pining pirate! Right now he was probably sitting by the bedside of his dying "Swan" and making moon-eyes at her. Regina would rather have a bonding experience with Snow White than share space with Hook while they both waited for the woman they loved to regain consciousness. Which one would the slumbering beauty seek out first? Which one would she be gladdest to see?

_That's why you're down here working alone. Because you don't want to see her choose someone else._

Hook and Emma had "something" going on in Neverland, and though Regina had picked up on it, she hadn't been privy to all of their conversations. Had they really kissed like Hook had told her? He would no doubt lie about it if it suited him, but it seemed as though he didn't have to.

Regina hated the very idea of it. Especially because Emma barely trusted her at the time. Worse than that - they had shared a moment in the woods during which she was promised  _something_  when they got back to Storybrooke. A date and a kiss maybe.

But they weren't back in Storybrooke and Regina knew she was not likely to be kissed anytime soon. Not by the one she wanted.

Her hatred for Hook was at maximum as always but jealousy had turned her ire on to Emma as well. Because she had kissed  _him_  in Neverland (according to Hook), rather than the other way around. Regina tried to deny that she was hurt and failed. One minute Emma was embracing her in the jungle and giving her hope and talking to her about getting together romantically in the future -  _their_  possible future - and the next minute she was off dallying with the help. Had she deliberately led her on to take revenge against the heartless Evil Queen for the crimes of the past? What a hilarious joke that would be.

The Evil Queen had fallen for the daughter of her worst enemies. She had fallen  _hard_ , which was the only way she ever did anything.

Why didn't Emma's parents intervene? wondered Regina bitterly. Their daughter and Hook had flirted their way through the Neverland jungle trek and neither of the Charmings stepped in to stop it. He was a pirate for god's sake! Not just a thief but a plunderer of treasures and virtuous women. His crimes were motivated by greed and mischief, hers had been motivated by revenge for pain and suffering. Her crimes were those of fiery passion and had been set in motion by wrongs forced upon her. Regina absolved herself of guilt and regret for any of it. But Hook was just an uncomplicated thug seeking to satisfy his lust.

_Why Hook!_   _What on earth does she see in that filthy rum-soaked scoundrel?_

Whatever happened between them on that island it was enough for the lecherous seafarer to find himself completely besotted with Emma Charming, who rarely lived up to that name in Regina's opinion.

Emma Swan - with the boyish swagger and questionable fashion sense - could hardly speak to her without attitude and a sarcastic eyeroll thrown in for good measure. That was how she would awaken, Regina decided. Emma would sit up and start complaining: "God, Regina! How many trucks did you throw me under last night?! Either you and I had a  _really_  good time or a bad one."

It'd be something to that effect. The ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth… and then Regina realised that Emma wouldn't say any such thing because she didn't remember her at all. She wouldn't look at her in that familiar smartass way. She would look upon her as a stranger and nothing else, a fleeting glance without recognition.

When she let Emma drive out of her life leaving both her and her memories behind, Regina felt a particular kind of heavy sickness forming in the pit of her stomach. Something that she hadn't felt in many years. The last time was when she had been a teenager kneeling on a stable floor with tears streaming down her face.

This time when she lost the one she loved it would not be over so quickly. She would be forced to watch the irritating flirtation between the pirate and the blonde grow into love. It would be a slow painful death for her heart's secret hope. She hardly knew how she would be able to endure it.

_I'd rather sleep through it than have her look through me as though I were not even here. Perhaps to her, I'm not..._

"Wakey, wakey," said Robin. He ducked his head into her line of sight and waved.

Regina blinked at the sudden appearance. Was he still here? Why was he talking to her in that patronising manner as if she were a child? She leaned back into her chair to increase the distance between their faces.

"You were a thousand miles away, my Lady. Did you hear aught of what I was saying?"

"Yes. Every word."

Robin was no fool and clearly didn't believe her hasty lie. He went on to repeat everything he related upon entering the room. He had sent for his young son, Roland, to join them at the castle. Usually he preferred to have the boy near him but with recent events he now wished for him to stay at the castle where it was safe. Regina would have to see to Roland's care whenever Robin left for one of his "jobs".

"I can't wait for Roland to meet you," Robin spoke with enthusiasm. "He's going to love you. As you will love him I am sure."

"I suppose I might," Regina was noncommittal on purpose. "He sounds like a fine little boy."

"You don't sound certain?"

"Do not pressure him to love me," said Regina (thinking to herself,  _Or worse, force him to view me as his mother_ ). "I do not see why a child must attach himself to a particular new person in his life. You would not expect an adult to get along with everyone they meet."

"You are right," Robin realised. "I've never thought of it that way. You are very… modern. I think you are a natural mother."

Regina smiled far-off into the distance where her memories were. "No, I am not. I learned it the hard way."

Thankfully Robin either didn't hear the bittersweet comment or he thought she was talking about Anna, rather than a child of her own. Only a few times Regina had attempted to explain the foreign concept of adoption to someone from this land who had never lived in Storybrooke while it existed. People wouldn't understand. They knew all about raising other people's children and taking in homeless urchins… but nobody considered that as being equal to raising one's own child from birth. Regina could not imagine loving Henry more than she already did, even if he had been of her own blood. She had been a constant presence and caregiver for his entire life and it rankled that somebody could dismiss that easily.

"I must confess something to you," admitted Robin. He gave a heavy sigh. "I found out from a well-meaning source who warned me out of concern that you were once the Evil Queen."

Regina's eyes flicked away. She wasn't comfortable with having her former persona brought up at random. "That's not exactly a secret. Though perhaps I should have told you myself."

"I wish you had. I think I mentioned to you at some point that I despise magic. But my feelings about our future union are unchanged."

Regina was confused. "You are willing to put my past aside? You do know what 'evil' means do you not?"

"Of course," Robin smiled. "Magic will not be a part of your life anymore. It is not who you are now. You don't seem all that evil from where I'm standing. Beautiful yes, but evil? Certainly not this morning outside in the snow when you were rather fetchingly dressed in only a silk and looking especially lovely with baby Anna in your arms. There is nothing more wonderful than seeing motherly love for a child..."

* * *

_Urrgh! Is this guy smooth or what._  Emma mimed a barfing gesture from where she was hidden across the room in the alcove of the doorway. She was watching Robin Hood get his suave on with Regina, the woman she had never met and yet knew so much about.

_This is the mother of my child, the woman I'm half-in-love-with already. She is breathtaking, more so in real life. My imagination went rampant while listening to Henry describe her and it still fell short of doing her justice. She's so beautiful... Wait, what did I come here for again? Oh._

The romance Emma was currently spying on was the reason she had come here. That had been the cause for her initial quest, to find Regina and demand to know why she had sacrificed herself to a cursed sleep for eternity and ask why the hell she'd agree to marry a man she'd just met. Then the Summer castle was attacked and Emma's motives changed to escape and survival. Now that she was here, maybe she could kill two birds with one stone on her way to saving the realm: she could find Henry and break off his other mother's marriage...

_No! I came here to ask for help and safety. That's all. If Regina is happy, I'll back off. I don't even know her._

From her vantage point Emma appraised this Robin's physical form. He was handsome and charming (an admission she begrudged giving him the credit for) and he was dressed in a roguish way that could be considered attractive - if you liked that bad boy look, which maybe Regina did? He had the advantage of being a noble thief too, as opposed to a petty criminal like Emma had been as a teenager.

Every time she thought of her youth it annoyed her that she had been convicted for the one count of stealing that she didn't commit… well, that wasn't quite true. She  _had_  performed the crime. Out of some misguided act of love, to take the fall for someone who ended up abandoning her and the kid. The courts had not thought it "noble" in any way either.

Emma decided to focus on Regina instead as the couple interacted. The Queen had agreed to an engagement so quickly. Was it really a whirlwind romance? Was she happy? It was hard to tell from her face. She seemed somewhat pleased by his gallantry but mostly she looked annoyed. Or surprised, as though she wasn't used to being courted or romanced… perhaps she wasn't used to being thought of at all.

It was the first time she was seeing Regina in real life, as opposed to a single photograph or a half-forgotten memory from when she had been eighteen years old with a newborn. Regina was stunning, obviously, and dressed like a medieval queen. There was some dreamlike quality about her though, which Emma had not expected. She didn't quite seem real.

Emma watched as Robin picked up one of Regina's hands and held it in both of his like it was fragile.

_Regina would hate that,_  she decided without having any real basis for thinking it.  _Those hands once cast the most powerful magic the realm had ever known. It was a gross underestimation to treat them as if they were weak. It was an insult. Regina hates weakness. He just lost a point with her._

"I wondered if you had any more thoughts about our marriage?" asked Robin.

Regina creased an eyebrow and said dryly, "How could I? You never asked me anything."

"But I assumed that you-"

" _Yes_. You assumed, you never actually proposed. After I awoke from the curse you announced our engagement to others before you even spoke to me. Now it is all over the Kingdom. I have more important concerns at present."

Robin nodded, apparently interpreting her snippy tone as a rejection of his advances. "Very well. You are busy. I shall return another time."

He cradled her face with tenderness and pressed a kiss to her forehead as a goodbye. Then the rugged thief left with no further word. The Queen remained seated at her desk, neither concentrating on her paperwork nor watching her fiance's departure with longing.

Emma came out of hiding, unable to wait any longer. She continued despite her dizziness and limped into the War room towards Regina. It wasn't so easy to walk without any walls or furniture to lean on.

"You're Henry's real mother?" she said.

Regina certainly was shocked speechless at the sight of her. Emma couldn't have known that it was more to do with how wretched she looked rather than her being there awake. When the Queen shot to her feet her chair scraped on the rough stone. They stared at each other for a beat before Emma realised she ought to say something.

"I need to talk to you about... huhhh… woah." That was all Emma got out before the world started spinning. She swayed on the spot. There were stars she could see, swirling bright lights in her version. Were her eyes usually full of stars?

Regina rushed to her side and grabbed her arms. "What are you doing down here, Emma? For god's sake, you look like hell! Get back in my bed where you belong. Now _._ Before you fall."

Emma slurred, "Whyr' yellin' at me."

"Hurry up, you're going to-"

Emma's knees buckled underneath her and she would fallen in a heap if Regina hadn't caught her, but only just.  _I must be too heavy for her_ , was Emma's last conscious thought.  _At least I get to be held in her arms even if it's only once. I could stay here forever if she'd let me. I could..._

* * *

_Summer Palace_

"Fall back."

The Commander gave his orders in low tones. The Elites were crouched along the stone wall at the back of the palace's outer walls, ready to insert themselves into the least defensible part of the fortified structure. Damage was visible to large sections of the stonework and there were no people around as there ought to have been at this time of morning.

They now had useful intelligence for the mission. Prince Henry had described the attack he witnessed along with every detail he could remember. His help turned out to be invaluable and Bishop had long ceased regretting having the young boy's presence join the guards. The Commander reiterated his safety message to emphasise the serious of the threat.

"Fall back and retreat immediately upon sighting of any dark shape in the sky. Pair up and clear the corridors one by one. We will begin with the outer ramparts and make our way to the battlements to search for survivors. Our first priority is to locate the Royals and investigate the nature of this attack."

Commander Bishop pointed two fingers at the oldest Elites at the front and tipped his head indicating without words for them to go first. They entered through a gap cleared of stones in the wall which they had to crawl through. Bishop repeated the gesture in two-minute intervals until all of the soldiers had entered except the two youngest. One of them looked determined and the other, apprehensive.

"Prince Henry," he said. "Go to the family rooms and see if anyone returned there after the attack. Do not place yourself in danger. We will call for you as soon as we find… anything."

"You mean, when you need me to identify the bodies," said Henry in a strained voice.

"Perhaps." The Commander clapped a hand around Henry's upper arm. "Hold onto your brave heart, lad. There is still hope if you believe there is."

Henry nodded and looked down sadly. With his face turned down towards the earth the boy didn't see it, but the Commander did. He saw Jenna's hand twitch as though she would reach out to comfort her fellow soldier and instead thought better of it. She met her senior's eyes and realised that it had been detected.

Bishop pinned the young Elite with a look. "Jenna, you have your orders. You know what to do."

"Done," said Jenna, giving him the traditional salute.

"I will follow after you." The Commander issued the gesture for them to go.

The two pre-teenagers didn't have to crawl through the gap like the others who were much larger and taller. They sank to their haunches to clear the entrance and then crouched on the inside. Jenna grabbed Henry's arm and the two youngsters headed in the direction opposite to the others' at a creep.

Once they were gone, Bishop watched the gap in the wall for a few minutes to make sure none of the Elites came back for some reason. After a suitable delay he began to shift the heavy stones back into their original position, completely blocking it as an exit. From the outside it was obvious that it had been used as an entrance but after he was done no-one would be able to enter or exit the castle this way. Not the Elites, not anyone.

Bishop stood to his full height and headed back towards the woods. They were silent and devoid of life.

"Witch!" he cupped his hands and bellowed into the snowy grounds. "Make your move."

A tall thin figure in black velvet, whose steps floated over the ground, approached and stopped ten paces in front of him. Her skin gleamed bright green even against the verdure of the forest surrounding her. The glacial blue of her eyes flashed with pleasure.

The Witch spoke in her tinkly girly voice. "You offer yourself as a needless sacrifice this early in the game, Dark Bishop."

"Bold are the opening gambits of the victorious."

"Yes," the Witch laughed. "As is the stench of the rotting corpses of those sacrificed along the way."

A shrill screech rent the skies and the Commander looked above, trying to locate the source. It was upon him before he knew it. A monster collided with him from behind, clawing at his shoulders, as it pushed him face-down into the snow. He landed hard on his chest. The air was forced out of his lungs and the void that remained became frozen and refused to draw another breath.

He could not breathe.

It ought to have been calm, dying like this, but Asphyxia never went anywhere without its favourite friend Panic. The longest thirty seconds of his life passed as though each were trying to span a new century. He watched crimson droplets stain the snow and assumed it to be his own blood. He wondered which would come first - death, or his next breath?

Mercifully, Bishop gasped and his lungs greedily sucked in all the oxygen they could hold. He raised his head enough to see the Witch standing above him. A winged monkey with bloodied claws and razor sharp teeth sat obediently at her side now.

"Do you-" he panted. "D'y' know what is the greatest weapon in war?"

"To be on the winning side?" she quipped.

"No," the Commander chuckled at her naivete regarding combat. "Tis having the next move."

The Witch sneered but her glee vanished She realised far too late that she had fallen for it. She had been unable to resist capturing the plum sacrifice that had been offered her as a distraction, thus completing her move. The Elites escaped and were even now completing their assigned mission unhindered. The Wicked Witch may have succeeded in attacking first and removing a minor piece from the board but she had missed her chance to gain a real advantage early.

It was the Queen's turn next.


	11. State of undress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait to anyone still following/interested in this story. I had a long break from writing (bc depression after a breakup) but I recently started up again. I've been nervously procrastinating way too much. Hoping to finish this and Double Trouble soon. Thanks for reading :) reviews/comments would be lovely.

"What took you so long?"

The Blue Fairy's tiny form hovered in mid-air a few inches away from Tink's face.

"I was-" Tink stopped herself from blurting out before changing tack. "It's been an eventful night here. There was an incident in the Queen's bedroom-"

"Of course," Blue scoffed.

"Emma turned up. She's injured but alive."

"The princess is safe?"

"Yes, thankfully."

The leader of the fairies was clearly relieved to know that the princesses Emma and Anna were safely ensconced in the Winter castle for the moment. But with the Witch rumoured to be targeting Royals in her quest to find a missing princess nothing was certain. Nobody knew exactly who she was looking for - or why. It was Regina who had told them her suspicion that the Witch was after a fabled girl called The Lost Princess. Emma certainly fit the bill after being "lost" to the real world for 28 years but was it really her the Witch was after? The Blue Fairy seemed to think so.

"Our intelligence informs us that the Witch is indeed searching for a princess," said Blue. "However, we have been unable to determine the identity or location of whom she is seeking. It is said there is some bad blood or connection to either The Evil Queen or Snow White so it could be one of her daughters. Perhaps the Witch seeks vengeance."

"You think Emma and Anna are in danger?" said Tink.

Blue bowed her head. "The princesses must be protected at all costs, especially in light of the recent attack on the Summer Palace. They were both there at the time but managed to escape so we must assume that one of them was the target."

Tink shook her head. "I don't think so. The Witch is very powerful by all accounts and she had plenty of opportunity to kill them yesterday in the snow - but she didn't. She let Anna escape with Henry and then cast a spell on Emma to force her to attack Regina instead. Why let any of them go?"

"If The Witch has a squabble with Regina it's irrelevant. Our only concern is the safety of the Royal Princesses."

It didn't make sense but Blue didn't supply anything further. Obviously she was less than alarmed by the threat to Regina than to any of the other Royals. She still didn't trust the former Evil Queen or care much whether she lived or died. Tink knew, however, that the ruling Queen of Winter was far more respected among her servants and populace since her return than anyone could have predicted. They were a desperate people and she a strong leader. It was short-sighted of the Fairy to ignore that.

"Maybe we've got it backwards," said Tink. "What if the Witch is trying to get to the Lost Princess through Regina? But the castle itself is too protected and that's why she had to send Emma."

Blue dismissed the theory. "This is not the first time someone has tried to destroy the realm because of a ridiculous family feud involving one of the Millses. Whatever is between the Queen and the Witch has already caused the destruction of many lives. If Regina has brought this upon all of us she can bear the cross alone."

_Well, that's not quite fair,_ thought Tink with a frown. _There's a lot more to it than that._

"Do you remember the spell I lost my wings over?" Tink blurted out her question, nervous all of a sudden. She didn't exactly enjoy bringing up the most humiliating and painful time of her life.

The Blue Fairy's expression shifted uncomfortably for a split second before being replaced with the usual formidable mask.

"Yes," said Blue. "You used precious rare pixie dust for a task that was little more than a cheap parlour trick, fortune telling. It was beneath you, as it is beneath me now to have to discuss this again."

"I wanted to help her!" Tink's lower lip trembled but she bit back in earnest. "She was miserable. I wanted to help young Regina find another True Love but it led her to Robin Hood. They can't be soulmates. Not anymore at least. They're… they're not right for each other and it's not what she wants. Is it possible I was wrong?"

"You were certainly wrong to abuse your position and risk your career for such a foolish endeavour. This is exactly your problem, Green. You care too much about insignificant things. What relevance does one woman's love life have to the workings of the realm, to centuries of work and planning?"

"It was one woman's love life that led to Storybrooke's 28 year curse," Tink pointed out with a stubborn lift of her chin. "That wasn't insignificant. If we had helped her we may have prevented all of that."

"It's not our place to interfere."

"But it's ok to interfere by sending a baby into a magic wardrobe to another world I suppose! How is that different? How is that not interfering?"

The Blue Fairy refused to answer and there was no point arguing so Tink had to let it go. The former fairy was no longer officially under Blue's chain of command so she was even less able to make herself heard.

They turned back to discussing the problems of the realm at hand. The Ogres had been slaughtered by unknown means bringing an end to a centuries-long feud. The whereabouts of Snow White and her Prince were still unknown, following the attack on the Summer Palace. The Witch, supposedly behind both, was building herself up to be a formidable foe...

Tink told the other fairy what Regina had related to her this morning. "The Witch sent the Queen a message saying she would take everything from her. First her enemies, then her friends, and finally her loved ones."

The Blue Fairy raised an eyebrow. "It seems the first part of the threat has been fulfilled. If I were you, Green, I'd be worried."

"Why?"

"Are you not Regina's friend? Her _only_ friend? You may be next."

* * *

Regina knocked on the door to Robin's rooms but received no answer. It was her castle and he was her "fiance" (supposedly) so she felt it was within her rights to look inside for him. She still had not been able to bring herself to inform him that they were not engaged and would not marry, yet at the same time she was impatient to have it over and done with.

Upon entering the outer room she noted first that he was not there and second that it was almost unchanged by its guest's presence, except for some wet clothes drying beside the glowing fireplace.

Regina thought she could detect trace of magic nearby, but it was of a kind she did not recognise and soon disappeared.

A log crackled and it was only then that she noticed a thin figure standing there naked in front of the fire. The child was either a pre-teen or young teenager, a pale nymph with blond hair cropped short like a boy's. Whoever this was, they were obviously comfortable enough to be in Robin's quarters in a state of undress and that in itself raised questions of propriety. Perhaps Robin had an older child in addition to Roland?

Before Regina could apologise for the intrusion the teen saw her and blushed fiercely, then escaped into the adjoining bathroom just as Robin was leaving it.

"I am sorry-" Regina began to apologise. "I didn't know you had anyone with you. Who is she?"

Robin greeted her with a smile and followed her gaze to the close door behind him. "Oh, you mean Tip?"

"Yes."

"Tip is one of my Merry Men, having recently joined us to learn survival experience."

Regina let her confusion show. "But-"

"I do not know where Tip is from -" Robin continued, talking over her next question in the hope that he would not have to answer it. "I have not asked - but I assume he is from somewhere where anyone different was made to feel like an outsider. I have never met a wiser or more thoughtful soul in a person so young."

The Queen listened as Robin told her of how he had been teaching Tip to shoot a bow and arrow in the snowy forest when they had come across Emma's body. In fact, it had been Tip who had discovered the injured Saviour. Hearing this made Regina immediately keen to relay both her gratitude to the teen and her regret at having embarrassed him just now.

"My lady," said Robin, with sudden unease. "Might we seek a favour from you?"

"Of course."

"The maidservant who prepared the baths brought _that_ for Tip to wear," the thief gestured to a pile of pink silk that had been balled up and thrown into a corner. "She refused to bring anything else for the lad."

Regina closed her eyes in annoyance and set her jaw. "That will not happen again, I assure you. I will speak to my staff."

The Queen then waved her hand to simultaneously vanish the dress and conjure a new outfit. A fresh lawn shirt, leather vest, and green breeches appeared on the bed in a puff of purple smoke.

"Will that do?" she asked.

Robin was visibly startled by her use of magic. But he nodded, indicating that the new clothes would be much more suitable and appreciated. He retrieved the clothes, then went to knock on the bathroom door to hand them through to Tip.

It irked Regina to see his reaction to her magic, even when she was using it to help. He knew she had been the Evil Queen now and she remembered Robin telling her earlier that he despised magic and that when they were married it would no longer be a part of her life. It rankled that he had apparently decided that for her. Even if it were possible for her rid herself of magic or stop using it she was not sure that she would choose to.

Her youth had been sacrificed for an unwanted marriage, her soul had been bartered for magic lessons with a manipulative imp, and her heart had traitorously given itself to someone who hated her. She was certainly not going to give up the power she'd scraped together from the shattered pieces of her life. Never again. Not for anyone.

_Just say it!_ Regina willed herself to speak up to him and practiced the words in her mind... _I will not marry you. Stop telling everyone we are engaged. I will not marry you. This time I will have my choice of life. I will not marry you…_

But the words were stuck in her throat. It felt like a dream in which she was aware of her actions and of what was happening but could not force herself to move or act. It was as though she were watching the scene from within her own body and shouting the words she wanted to say. Decades of life had forced assertiveness into her. As either the Evil Queen or the Mayor she had no problem inspiring fear into others. She was no shrinking violet. Why could she not make herself be heard now?

"Last night must have been terrible for you. How is Miss Swan now?" Robin stood across from her asking after the woman he'd rescued.

Regina blinked. "I do not know."

"If she as the Shade could get past your guards to attack you, others might manage it also. You need to be better protected."

"I need nothing of the sort," she said coldly, her hand ready on the doorknob to leave. "In this world I am Queen of the Winter Kingdom and I'll thank you to remember it. It is my duty to protect _them_."

* * *

_The Queen's chambers_

When Emma woke she felt no better than the last time. Her head felt leaden and her entire body still ached, especially the wound in her side. The last thing she remembered before passing out was Regina ordering her back to bed and then falling into the beautiful brunette's arms.

_Oh, how embarrassing!_

Damnit, she hadn't even been conscious long enough to enjoy it.

When there was a knock on the door, she hoped it would be Regina for a second before realising the Queen would not likely knock to enter her own bedroom. It wasn't her. Unfortunately it was that lecherous pirate again and a very short older man with white hair, rosy cheeks, and half-moon glasses.

"You are looking less lovely than usual, Swan." Hook sent her a disarming smile. "If I might be so bold I suggest taking a bath… and soon. You are quite fragrant."

"Go. Away." Emma gritted her teeth.

"I do enjoy our banter but you could play a _little_ less hard to get, Swan."

She gave him a false smile. "Did you send my message to the Queen?"

"What message."

"That I need to speak with her but I'm too ill to get up."

"Ah!" Hook nodded vigorously. "Yes, I saw her in the hallway leaving her fiance's room, looking a bit dishevelled if you catch my meaning. She said she's too busy to see you today, you know, running the Kingdom and planning her wedding to Robin Hood..."

Emma fought the urge to roll her eyes at his obvious lies. She knew he'd had no intention of going to find Regina for her. Then again, she herself had been spying on Regina with Robin not long ago and couldn't help feeling unjustifiably jealous. What if Regina had indeed gone to see Robin instead of her? Emma could be lying here half-dead for all she knew. The woman had sacrificed herself for the young Emma's peace of mind and yet now she couldn't be bothered coming to check on her?

"Ahem," said the short older man, who had been waiting patiently aside. "I need to examine the patient."

The doctor looked pointedly at Hook for a beat. The pirate didn't seem to get the hint.

Emma lost her patience. "He means get the hell out. Now! _Pervert._ " she hissed.

Hook merely smirked as he took his leave, as though she had used a term of endearment rather than an insult. That guy simply refused to get the message that she wasn't interested. What was it going to take to get him to leave her alone - a punch in the face?

"My name is Doc," the older man said kindly. "You might not remember me from early this morning. You were in quite a state!"

"I don't remember anything from last night." Emma frowned. "Is that bad?"

"It's to be expected. You were very lucky." Doc asked permission to lift her shirt and began the task of removing the dressings on her stab wound. He tsked and wiped away the foul-smelling pus gathered there as best he could. Emma winced at each swipe and managed to only cry out in pain once as he scraped dirt from the deepest part.

"Ahh, Jesus, fuck!" Emma panted. "That hurts. Is it - is it infected?"

"I'm afraid so. You'll need to keep it very clean and have someone change the bandages often."

Emma let out a rueful laugh. "Don't suppose you have any antibiotics on hand?"

"Alas no, the Queen keeps sending the Alchemists whatever bread can be spared but they have so far failed to invent 'penicillin' as she calls it. Whatever that is."

"Great. So I'll just have to rely on my own immunity and hope I don't die," she joked.

"Yes. That is what we do here."

As soon as Doc finished up he declared her not likely to die in the next few hours. He told her she was allowed to get up whenever she felt able but not to push her luck and fall faint again. As he left a rail thin middle-aged maidservant strode in and began bustling around the room.

"You'll bathe now," the servant informed Emma.

The maidservant hardly said another word to her as she busily set about preparing a hot bath in the copper tub in the Queen's bathing room. Once the water was ready, the no-nonsense servant got her up out of bed and shuttled her to the bath. Rough hands began to undress her and Emma was too exhausted to put any effort into protesting so she just went along with it.

With some help, Emma sank into the steaming bathwater with a sigh of relief for her aching body. Her last meal felt like weeks ago and she was utterly exhausted from running through the woods trying to get the children to safety. Being infected by the Shade of Envy had done a number on her, physically and mentally.

The servant scooped up Emma's dirty jeans and blood-stained shirt with annoyance and then left her in peace.

As she lay there soaking up the warmth Emma pictured her little sister Anna, wondering where in the castle she was and what she was doing and whether she was still crying for her parents. But it was Henry who dominated her thoughts and worries. Hook hadn't known where the boy was which meant he probably wasn't here in the castle. So where was he? And then she thought of Regina, she was desperate to ask about their son and dying to know more about her and whatever history they shared together.

After what seemed to be an interminable length of time the water began to grow cold and the servant had not returned to help Emma get out of the tub. She wasn't going to wait around any longer but as she was still unsteady on her feet she got out on her own carefully and looked around for something to put on. But there was nothing. She still had to hold onto the walls and furniture to make her way back to the main room and when she made it (finally) she saw it.

The servant had left a frilly medieval-style dress on the bed, apparently intending her to don it after her bath. Emma would rather have put her bloody clothes back on but they were nowhere to be seen. She sighed.

The bedroom door swung open suddenly and Emma, stark naked and dripping wet, startled like a deer in headlights. Her eyes went wide at the person standing in the doorway.

It was Regina, stock frozen in her tracks. The stunning beauty's eyes darkened in shock as they raked over the blonde's wet form and her jaw dropped. It took her a second to remember herself and then she spun around and closed the door shut.

In an uncharacteristic display of frustration the Queen swore and muttered, "Not _again!"_

* * *

_The Great Hall, later that evening_

The Unboarding Ceremony was both a funeral and a military occasion to honour the fallen. The Pawn guard named Torin had been killed in service by a Shade acting upon the will of The Witch.

As was tradition, Regina presided over the Board in her official position as Queen. She was supposed to act solemn and unaffected when a guard fell but in this case she could not fulfill that duty. Her guards swore an oath to protect the Royal and they knew exactly what could happen in the course of the game. Being selected for Her Majesty's Elite Royal Guards was considered to be the highest honour in the land and their family lines would receive unending compensation.

However, it had never pleased her to see young people sacrifice their lives in this capacity. Regina made a point of identifying Torin's family members located at the front of the congregation so that she could personally speak with them later. She saw a woman her own age, fighting off tears as Torin's achievements and bravery were lauded, and couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose her own son who was only a few years younger. Regina missed Henry dearly. She wondered what he was doing right now and willed him to be safe.

The ceremony was well attended as Torin was a well-liked young man, although there were a few notable absences that the Castle gossipmongers picked up on. All of the First Elites were missing, which spurred rumours that they'd been sent on a revenge mission against The Witch. Plenty of gossip was also generated by the curious absence of the Queen's supposed fiance, Robin Hood, who was not occupying the place to her left, and they speculated about her engagement.

Regina murmured to the guard who was standing at attention to her right in formal black regalia. "Any word from the Firsts? They should have arrived at Snow White's castle by now."

"No word, Your Majesty," said the female bishop who commanded the Second Elites. "Should I deploy my guards to recover them and complete the mission instead?"

"That won't be necessary." Regina said with a trace of amusement. "I have complete faith in Commander Bishop as I do in you, Commander Beretta. However, what I do not understand is the ridiculous rivalry between you two."

"Forgive me, Your Majesty. I was merely pointing out that the Seconds are ready and we eagerly await your orders."

"I am aware. I do not consider First and Second as measures of relative competence when it comes to my guards. You are both on the same side. Remember that."

Beretta bowed her head in acknowledgement, her ruffled feathers smoothed for now.

"Unless you have some other reason for wanting to be nearer to Commander Bishop?" Regina teased. She knew it was a little unfair of her, since the guard could hardly reply to _her_ in similar vein but it was too tempting not to. She'd noticed the attraction between Bishop and Beretta for years, going back to their childhoods and recruitment as Pawns, and it seemed everyone knew but themselves.

Beretta cleared her throat and changed the subject back to her report. "As per your orders I have sent the Rooks to accompany the return of the war children. They'll arrive early tomorrow."

The Queen nodded her approval.

"Should I arrange for a public announcement that the lost Princesses have been found safe? People have been asking after Snow White's daughters."

"No," Regina said hastily. "Make no reference to Anna and Emma. Or any other guest of the Castle. _Especially_ do not name any of the younger guests."

"As you wish, Majesty."

Once the formal part of the ceremony was over, people began to mingle and exchange condolences. Though almost no-one was brave enough to approach the Queen, every eye in the room noticed her breach of protocol in bowing low to Torin's mother. The poor woman was bewildered by the gesture and burst into tears. No doubt there were people in the room who disapproved the Queen's lowering of her dignity to a peasant but Regina neither noticed nor cared.

It was well into the evening before a friend caught up to her, relieving her from standing around alone.

"I heard a rumour," Tink whispered into her ear.

Regina smiled. "Oh? Anything good."

"Just that Robin called off your engagement because you cut your hair short like a boy's. Or the other way around. Why are people so interested in your haircut? You've caused quite a stir tonight."

"I'm a queen," Regina said drolly. "Everything I do is interesting."

The two women barely managed to contain their scoffs (it would be unseemly to be seen laughing at an Unboarding) but the rumours were indeed ridiculous. Regina noticed a courtier staring at her unabashedly and ran a hand through the silky dark locks that kicked around her neck at chin length. It was ridiculous that her short hair was considered to be more scandalous than showing her cleavage.

"So, have you seen Emma?" asked Tink.

Regina swallowed hard as the images of the Saviour's wet naked body came to mind. She knew she'd be pictured it for many nights yet to come. "Yes, I … saw her. For a moment. She's still recovering from her ordeal. I don't think she knows about Torin, else I imagine she'd have insisted on coming here tonight."

"Well, there was an empty square next to you on the Board..."

Regina sighed in annoyance. "Tink, you're not being subtle."

"And _you_ are driving me crazy by avoiding talking to the woman you love!"

Seeing that her friend had clammed up on the topic of her love life, Tink went serious for a minute. "I spoke to the Blue Fairy."

"How odd. You don't seem bored to death."

"Very funny. I told her about you being attacked last night. She thinks the Witch is after the Lost Princess who is either Emma or Anna."

"Good to hear her powers of discernment are as sharp as always. She's wrong."

"I know, but she wouldn't listen to me. I have another theory. I think the Witch is after you, or is trying to get to the princess through you."

Regina shook her head. "It's not me she's really after."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know who the Lost Princess is."

"You've figured it out?!"

The Queen checked over her shoulder that they could not be overheard and lowered her voice. "She's looking for Ozma Tippetarius."

Tink's surprise was evident on her face. "The legendary rightful ruler of Oz who hasn't been seen in five thousand years? _The_ Princess Ozma?"

"Yes."

"But that's-... crazy right?"

Regina's lip curled into a satisfied smirk. "Indeed, the Witch is not going to find who she is looking for. Not here, not anywhere."

* * *

_Nursery_

Maisy the servant strode through the castle halls holding a purple plush pig in front of her as proudly as though it was the Queen's crown. She was delighted to have been trusted to perform this task. She wasn't sure exactly why her old position of plucking birds was now redundant - perhaps the Queen had lost her taste for roast swan? But now she'd been given another job in the Castle. All thanks to the Queen.

Maisy was a little nervous to be presenting her creation to the young princess. The toy pig was huggable and cute, made from a patchwork of edge cuttings from various gowns the castle seamstresses had given her. She'd put a few sprigs of lavender inside with the stuffing to soften the baby's sleep. She dearly hoped the little girl would like it.

Upon entering the nursery, Maisy saw the occupants, a grown man and two toddlers, roughhousing on the floor amid a mess of coloured blocks and balls.

"Papa! Papa! Do it again!" a little boy laughed.

The young Princess Anna giggled and shrieked with laughter. Her golden curls tossed around her shoulders as she wriggled on the floor rug.

"...and then the dragon gave a mighty ROARRRR!" The rugged-looking man stopped mid-roar with his hands in the air like claws when he noticed her. "Hello, have you come to rescue the children from the angry dragon?"

"Um… _yes_ , Sir," said Maisy, following along.

"You had best be quick! 'Cause I'm about to… ROARRR!" He resumed tickling the little boy around the middle.

Anna put her hands over her ears. "Stop noisin' it, Wobbuh. Too loud!"

Robin sighed and sat back on his haunches. "Very well, the Princess has spoken. And the dragon is too exhausted to go on."

Maisy had heard the rumours (it was hard not to) and surmised that this man was Robin Hood, the Queen's suitor. Though he had a reputation as a thief, he seemed an affable sort - and good with children - but it surprised her that the Queen would take someone so ordinary and a commoner to boot. But this man might soon be elevated to Queen's Consort and hence he would be able to give her orders so she thought it best to get off on the right foot.

"Beggin' your pardon, Sir," Maisy began. "If I may interrupt the dragon's rest... I've been charged with fulfilling a custom order for a special little tyke. I'm here to deliver it."

Robin raised his eyebrows, noticing the plush toy in her hands. "Ah, I see. May I inspect the G-I-F-T?"

"Of course, Sir."

On the sly, Robin took the plush pig and checked it over. He ran his thumb over the sewn-on eyes to check they were safely secured. One of the eyes was a black wooden button which held fast, but the other was a shiny purple marble that rolled easily when pushed or pulled. It was not immediately apparent what material it was made of or how it had been fastened to the fabric in the first place.

"This eye here is a bit loose," Robin murmured with concern. "Would you mind if I removed it? She might pull it off and swallow it otherwise."

Maisy blushed and stammered. "O-of course. I apologise, I did not realise -"

"No harm done." Robin smiled. He raised the pig to his mouth so that he could pull the marble free with his teeth. "See? Perfectly safe now."

"I'm deeply sorry, Sir. It's just that it looked ever so pretty -"

"It's a strange looking thing. Where did it come from?"

"One of the maids. Not anyone I know the name of. I've not seen hide nor hair of her since. If I do, I'll give'r a right piece of my mind!"

Robin handed the pig back so that Maisy herself could present the gift to Anna. The little princess's jaw dropped comically low out of surprise when she realised it was for her.

"Woooow. My pig? Piggy pig pig!" Anna hugged the toy tight, smiling happily like it was the best thing she'd ever been given. Apparently she didn't notice or care that the pig was imperfect, having only one eye now, and didn't mind that it wasn't exactly the same as her previous comfort object.

"That is indeed the most resplendent pig I have ever seen," said Robin.

Anna, who was not at all shy with strangers and well-schooled already in manners, said to Maisy, "T'ank you."

Maisy bowed to the sweet child. "The joy was mine, Your Highness."

Robin nodded to her as thanks and a dismissal and turned back to the children. "And now, little ones, the dragon is beginning to rouse from his rest… and you know what that means!…"

The children began to giggle as he built up the theatrics.

"Soon, SOON, … you will face my _WRATH_!"

Maisy closed the nursery door behind her and hummed to herself with delight at her success. What she did not see, and perhaps would not have realised its portent if she had, was a purplish hue beginning to suffuse Robin's skin.

The unknown maid who had slipped her the pretty purple marble for the pig's eye had supplied a more dangerous object than even Robin Hood suspected. It was no mere choking hazard.

The infection just beginning to take hold of him was another Shade.


	12. Suffer the little children

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: some brief references to child sexual abuse (no main characters) and children conscripted for war

 

* * *

 

_Village outskirts_

 

It was dawn before the first child arrived.

 

Hundreds of war children, dirty and exhausted from battling the Ogres, were returning today.  They entered the villages of the Winter Kingdom trudging in single file, a solemn procession of ruined childhoods.

 

The Queen was there to greet each one with a kiss, an apple from her tree, and a gold coin from her vault (though she had been warned this gesture would near bankrupt her treasury). She was the first motherly figure the children had seen in months or years and some of them cried and hugged her. A few of them were maimed or disfigured and she did not do them the disservice of averting her eyes. For every one who returned, there were at least two who did not make it home.

 

There were many civilians who blamed the Queen for sending children for the bloody war with the Ogres. Children below the legal age were being taken to meet the demand. The conscriptors swept into houses at night like smoke, taking younger and younger children each time. Resources were stretched thin. There was little anyone, including the Queen, could do to stop it.

 

Regina kept her countenance passive for once but a rage thick as black tar boiled inside her. She recognised the vacant stares of trauma in many of the children and knew that a hundred Dr Archibald Hoppers would struggle to repair the damage here.

 

There was a break in the traffic as the Rooks herded the next batch of children into line.

 

Commander Beretta appeared at the Queen’s side. “Your Majesty, I have bad news.”

 

Regina hid a sigh. “At this point, I am not sure I’d recognise any other kind. Go ahead, my day is not yet ruined.”

 

“My guards have received reports from several villagers of a man known as the Rock Spider skulking around these parts at first light. He was exiled in perpetuity for...” Beretta cleared her throat. “Exploiting children. Trafficking.”

 

“Are we to believe it a coincidence that this man reappears in town the same day that hundreds of vulnerable children return?”

 

“I do not think it a coincidence, no.”

 

Regina gave her orders. “Find him. Get your guards to confirm identity and remove him quietly, I do not want the villagers to resort to vigilantism. If he protests, tell him the penalty for harming a war child is now death.”

 

Commander Beretta's only reply was to give the traditional salute.

* * *

  


When Emma woke that morning she noticed the room felt different. She’d waited up for as long as she could keep her eyes open, hoping that Regina would return to her room so they could talk. But she’d ended up falling asleep first. The Queen must not have slept here last night though, she reasoned, as the bedsheets next to her were undisturbed.

 

A chair had been pulled beside the bed, as though someone had sat there during the night to watch over her.

 

_God, doesn’t the woman ever sleep?_ Emma thought to herself, still a bit miffed that she hadn’t woken up next to a beautiful woman. _What a missed opportunity to get close to her._

 

Her opinion was that it would only be fair if they were to be in such intimate proximity now. After all, the Queen had seen her stark naked and Emma thought she'd seen arousal in her dark eyes as well as shock. Then why had the Royal turned and fled if she liked what she saw? And why hadn't she returned to her chamber to sleep?

 

The Saviour had slept in the frilly dress (it turned out it was a nightgown -- who knew?) that had been left by the maidservant. But somebody else had seen to the stab wound in her side as it was now covered in gauze and bandage. It was still painful but not as bad.

 

The smell of food tempted her to get up out of bed. Her muscles didn’t scream in agony with every movement today so that was a sign of improvement. Emma took her breakfast tray and parted the filmy curtains to the balcony so that she could sit outside and eat in the fresh air.

 

Somebody had arranged a tray of bread, cheese, and apples. There were sweet pastries too, one of which was a doughy approximation to a bear claw. As soon as she’d taken the first bite, her stomach growled demanding that she stuff her face with as much as possible. After foregoing food for days she was suddenly ravenously hungry.

 

She shivered in the thin nightgown. It was a chilly Winter morning outside, but Emma was desperate to be somewhere other than inside her sickroom. She took her first sips of the hot chocolate and was surprised to find it was still hot (by magic?). It tasted of cinnamon.

 

“Good guess that I like cinnamon,” Emma mused to herself. “Cos most people don’t.”

 

It reminded her of Henry, who liked cinnamon too. Her brain had hardly stopped worrying about her son for even a second, but remembering all of the times they’d spent in New York coffee shops together warmed her more than the drink did.

 

“Where are you, kid? I miss you.” she sighed.

 

At the sound of commotion and bustle, Emma got up to peer over the balcony. At the edges of the village she could see a large crowd had gathered. Among them she thought she could discern the black leather and silver of the military-looking guards’ uniforms and wondered if the Queen was there in her official capacity too.

 

“Regina.” Emma said the name out loud, reverent and intrigued, and decided on something. “You are not going to dodge me again today, Your Majesty. We need to talk.”

 

But first, there was someone else she needed to see.

* * *

  


_The ‘Royal Fork’ village tavern_

 

Tink hadn’t been able to stomach accompanying Regina to see the war children return. (She’d lived on an island of orphans for longer than she could remember and unlike her friends, these children were not having fun lives at all.) Instead she’d whiled away her day and then gone to the village tavern to get a drink. It was loud and raucous inside and many of the local characters were quite amusing.

 

Unfortunately that rogue Hook was there too, drinking rum of course, and he kept eyeing her from across the room like he wanted to join her.

 

The door swung open, letting in some of the bright daylight into the dim tavern. Tink squinted and was pleased to see it was a friendly face.

 

_Or not._

 

Robin had the angriest look on his squared-off visage. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him irritated let alone angry. He was dark with rage and he moved like every second that passed was an inconvenience deliberately set up by the universe to delay him getting his goal.

 

Robin slid into the bench across from her and leaned forward on his elbows. “Where’s Regina,” he demanded to know.

 

Tink gaped for a second, affronted by his rudeness. “Hmph, why would you think she’d be here of all places, in a tavern with commoners?”

 

“I know she wouldn’t be caught dead here! I asked where she IS. She’s not anywhere in her Castle. I searched.”

 

“The Queen is performing her duties and I’m glad she’s away, seeing as how you’re stomping around like an angry bull. What’s wrong with you?”

 

Robin’s glare deepened. “What’s wrong with _me_? Nothing’s wrong with me. What I want to know is what’s wrong with Regina.”

 

Tink was too stunned by his manner and the whole exchange to stop him as he went on with his ranting.

 

“She refuses to talk about our engagement or the plans for our marriage. A woman ought to be proud of her fiance and want to announce it to the world. But she won’t even acknowledge our engagement. I thought you said we were soulmates, Miss Bell, that the pixie dust showed you we were meant to be together. I’ve been nothing but gentlemanly toward her and yet she looks down upon me like I’m some rotten thief who she’d rather throw in the dungeon. She certainly doesn’t act like she _loves_ me!”

 

Tink sighed. “Robin, it’s er-”

 

_Ugh, I know she doesn’t love him but I can’t be the one to tell him that. He really should ask to Regina himself. How do I get myself caught in the middle of these things!_

 

As unpleasant as this conversation was, it did bode well for her matchmaking plans. Robin could very well take himself out of the picture soon… Then there would be an open path to the Queen for a certain blonde woman. Tink was matchmaking it in her head already.

 

“This is all YOUR fault!”

 

Robin launched on to his feet and knocked away her glass with his arm. The half-full mug of ale flew across the room where it smashed on the stone floor. He stood over Tink, intimidating her with his size. The noise in the tavern lowered as a few of the other tavern patrons noticed what was going on. A few looked like they were watching to see if they should intervene; a few of them were watching with glee at the prospect of a fight.

 

“This is your fault,” Robin repeated, he stabbed his finger into the air mere inches from her face. “You and those meddling fairies, casting your little spells and interfering in people’s lives.”

 

Tink leapt to her feet too, unable to take it anymore. Her tiny self was nothing to his bulky build but she was determined not to let him frighten her. “I was trying to _help_ her! I’ll have you know I lost my wings over that spell.”

 

“Just as well, I’d have ripped them from you for humiliating me like this.”

 

Tink’s jaw dropped. “What is the matter with you? Robin, this isn’t like you.”

 

Robin raised his arm again, but as there were no more glasses on the table to destroy, it seemed like he was about to strike her. Tink, frozen in shock and fear, waited for the blow to come. But someone stepped in and deflected the arm just in time.

 

“Hey mate,” said Hook, holding Robin’s arm at bay. “I think you’d better cut and run. Your compass isn’t exactly reading true right now if you get my drift. The Queen’s heart lies in another direction. But there’s plenty more fish in the sea. I suggest you look elsewhere.”

 

Robin managed to swing around and take Hook by surprise with a punch to the face. The pirate reeled backwards and fell into a local brute who was in the process of carrying a round of drinks back to his table. Hook stumbled back to his feet and grabbed the wooden drinks tray to slam over the back of Robin’s neck, and the two continued grappling.

 

In less than thirty seconds the entire tavern became embroiled in the fight.

 

Tink stomped her tiny booted foot with a huff and left them to it.

* * *

  


_Village outskirts_

 

“Your Majesty, we’ve received word from the First Elites.”

 

Commander Beretta held a piece of parchment in her hand and there was a blue bird sitting on her shoulder preening its wing. The bird was recognisable as one of the Summer Kingdom’s messengers (or, according to Regina, “one of Snow’s infernal birds”).

 

Regina snatched the note but was unable to decipher it:

 

**QxKB1 P-K4 P-K4?!**

 

Seeing that it was in code, the Queen scrunched it in annoyance and threw the paper into the air where it disintegrated into ash. Beretta seemed unphased both by the display of temper and the use of magic. It had been a trying day and this was more bad news.

 

“Commander, what did that gibberish say? What news of my son.”

 

Beretta translated the message, which she’d memorised. “One of the First Elites sends a message to say that three of the team missed the last checkpoint. Commander Bishop is suspected to have been taken by the Witch but it is believed to have been a questionable move. There’s no mention of their finding the Royal family, dead or alive.”

 

Regina narrowed her eyes. “Who else is missing?”

 

“Two Pawns.”

 

“ _Which_ Pawns.”

 

“It does not say. But if it were me, I would have sent them in pairs to search the castle for the Royals. It seems that one pair has failed to check in for whatever reason.”

 

“It’s Henry,” Regina guessed. Her face darkened. “Of course he is one of the missing ones. He’s gone off to be a hero.”

 

“There are several Pawns,” said the Commander, trying to be helpful. “We do not know it’s him.”

 

“ _I know it’s him_!” Regina barked. “I know my son. He’s just like his mother.”

 

“Then I’m sure the young Prince is a survivor. He’s not alone, one of the other Pawns is with him. The Elites will protect him, Your Majesty.”

 

It was only partially comforting to Regina that the land’s most highly trained warriors were with Henry. She couldn’t help feeling a sense of foreboding worry that something would happen to him. Her luck in the world was to lose, not to win, and she knew she could not stand to lose him. As always, her dark side was restrained at the moment but if she were to lose the thing she loved most it would overcome her in an instant and the Evil Queen would return.

 

Henry was a smart and brave 12-year old boy, but he wasn’t from this land. He wasn’t familiar with its dangers.

 

_Please. Please, let him be safe._

 

She had power, authority, and magic at her fingertips, but in this she felt utterly helpless to prevent any harm to befall her own son.

 

Thankfully, the procession of war children had ceased and she would not have to hide her raging feelings for much longer. It was driving her to distraction worrying over their fates. Most of them had returned to their families now but there were quite a few orphans. Leftover children. Either their parents were dead or dead inside and had not come to collect them.

 

The only light on this dreary day were the people who stepped up and offered to give a home to an orphan.

 

Regina could easily imagine a toddler-sized Emma, wilting away in an orphanage with no-one coming to collect her. She would have looked exactly like Anna, only less smiley and friendly with strangers. At that age she would just be coming to understand the world and how unwanted she was. It wasn’t fair that the only reason they had Henry now, the only reason they’d even met, was because Emma had been alone her entire life. If she let it, the guilt would bubble up inside her like acid over how much her own selfish actions had ended up hurting the woman she'd come to feel so deeply for.

 

The Queen was desperate to get away from this scene of heartbreak and retreat into her castle. The first thing she’d do would be to run to the nursery and wrap Anna up in her arms for the contact she craved with the older Charming daughter.

 

Angry yelling halted her plans. A crowd of men had gathered with weapons raised. A child’s wail could be heard above the din. _The Rock Spider, he’s the Rock Spider, smash him…!_ they were chanting.

 

Regina signalled to her nearest guard and strode over to investigate, the crowd parting like the sea to let her through.

 

A feral-looking man with long wiry hair and beard was struggling against the restraint of two village men. He was oddly red in the face, probably from having been chokeheld by someone. His breeches were slack around his thighs. Several women in the crowd brandished weapons and spat in his direction. One of the male villagers was shielding a small wailing child. The child had a swollen eye and a whiteish substance on her face -- both were fresh.

 

“It’s him, Your Majesty.” She wasn’t sure if it was one of her guards or one of the villagers speaking to her.

 

What the Queen did next spread through the realm like wildfire. With a murderous look on her face, she leaned in and snapped his neck with a flick of her wrist. Some said a quick death was more than he deserved. Some said she strangled then revived him several times over, prolonging his death.

 

“Leave him by the rocks and let the carrion-eaters have their fill,” the witnesses thought she’d said before walking away.

 

But apparently none of the witnesses noticed her retrieve something from the ground, a tiny red marble that had been expelled from his mouth.

 

Later that evening, for the first time in the Winter kingdom the sound of crickets deafened them all.

* * *

  


_Queen’s Board room_

 

When the Queen returned to the castle she went straight up to the nursery to check on Anna.

 

She peered through the gap in the door and saw with surprise that Emma was up and about and had come to visit her little sister. They were sitting together on the floor, playing quietly with a purple stuffed pig and some coloured blocks. Emma kept trying to engage the toddler by asking her questions but all the little one did was hide her face. It was so strange how shy Anna was with her sister when she was such a friendly chatterbox with almost everyone else, including strangers.

 

Though reluctant to interrupt their family time, Regina had very much wanted to go in and join them. But something held her back at the door, as though she could not will her body to go in. Instead she left them to it and retreated to her Board room to get some work done. Anything to distract herself from what she’d had to do today.

 

Regina sighed as she blotted yet another piece of parchment with a glob of black ink. Doing paperwork had been much easier in the modern world, even though there had been much more of it. Here, her mark was essential for all Royal decrees and every foreign traveler entering the Winter kingdom required a pass with her written permission on their person.

 

The task was so tedious she felt like putting her head down on the desk to catch a few minutes’ sleep. But it had to be done, no matter how tiring her day had been. In any case,  she wouldn’t be able to truly rest until she knew her son and the people he cared about would be safe.

 

Regina was lulled into a trance by repeatedly signing her own name when a familiar voice woke her out of it.

 

“So how much longer do you think you can avoid me?”

 

Emma Swan stood before the desk, defiant and smirking, exactly the way she would have in the Mayor’s office back in Storybrooke. She was wearing brown leather boots over dark blue breeches and a blue leather vest over a man’s lawn shirt. It was the second such outfit Regina had conjured today and she’d left the clothes in her chambers for the recipient to find. The last time she’d seen Emma, the blonde had been wearing nothing at all and Regina did not want to admit how often she’d been picturing it since.

 

Regina took a second to compose herself before raising her gaze. “I am not avoiding you. I’m a Queen, I have many important concerns to take care of.”

 

“Whatever,” said Emma, not convinced. “Where’s Henry?”

 

“He’s not here.”

 

“Hook told me he never made it to the Castle. After the Witch found us--”

 

Regina nodded and held up her hand. “I already know what happened, Henry told me. You let her torture you so that he and the baby could escape.”

 

“You’ve spoken to Henry? He’s ok?”

 

“Yes. He’s fine. After you sent him off with Anna, they came upon my guards. One of them brought your sister here to me for safety as I am her godmother. Henry decided to stay with the guards to accompany their mission to the Summer Palace.”

 

Regina knew it was not the entire truth, she wasn’t certain about what had happened on the mission after Commander Bishop had been attacked. Two Pawns were missing and one of them might’ve been Henry. But she didn’t know for certain that he _wasn’t_ safe, and considering that Emma was already concerned it wouldn’t help to worry her further with details the Queen didn’t even have.

 

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” said Emma.

 

“Excuse me?”

 

Emma placed her palms down and leaned over the desk. “I’ve been risking my life for days on end desperately trying to get Henry and Anna here to safety because my parents told me to find you. It was the last thing they said to me before the battlements collapsed on them… The Palace is probably rubble by now. Why in the hell would you let Henry go back there?!”

 

“He insisted on going, I couldn’t stop him. It’s a rescue mission to try to find your parents alive.”

 

“But they’re _dead_!” Emma’s voice cracked. “I saw it happen. Anna saw it happen, she’s going to grow up an orphan now because of it.”

 

Regina softened her tone. “I’ve known your parents a long time, Emma. They have an annoying propensity to survive mortal peril. Even if they haven’t this time, I promised them I would never let Anna grow up alone. As for Henry… he is accompanied by my finest warriors, in fact, it’s arguable he’s safer there than here. We will hear from them soon. Your mother would say it’s always too early to give up hope.”

 

Emma sighed and sank into the chair that had only appeared moments earlier in a puff of purple smoke. “It’s just --... this is so much to deal with. I’ve only been in this world a few days, I met my long-lost parents and my baby sister, and magic is real and… It’s crazy! I keep thinking I’m going to wake up and this is all a stupid dream.”

 

“Would you like me to pinch you?” Regina teased.

 

When Emma shot her a grin it was heartbreakingly familiar.

 

To Regina, it felt like she’d been holding her breath and only now was she able to fill her lungs with air again. They were talking almost like they had in Storybrooke and Neverland, but in this world something was missing. Their shared history. Regina missed the old Emma. The one who remembered everything they’d been through together and how their relationship had evolved. This one was a pretty damn close approximation though. And right now this Emma was looking at her in exactly the same way, as though she could see right through her and know her soul.

 

After a few minutes, Emma must’ve noticed that they been studying each other intently and staring into each other’s eyes without talking for too long.

 

“I hate waiting,” Emma grumbled. “I wish I could see my son.”

 

“Our son,” Regina corrected out of habit.

 

“Yeah, about that. If I believe the crazy things everyone’s been telling me since I got to this world: I gave up my baby, you’re Henry’s adoptive mother, and we didn’t meet until he was ten. But I don’t remember it so this is an alternate reality to me. I don’t know you.”

 

“Yes, you do.”

 

Emma shifted, giving her that penetrating stare. “You’re right. I knew you -- for an hour. You came to see us when I was a teenager, just after Henry was born. You were that fake social worker. You told me your son and his mother didn’t live with you; I thought it meant you were a divorced lesbian Mommy.”

 

“That’s not accurate. You and I were never together.”

 

“Is that so. Then why did you do it?”

 

“Do what.”

 

“They told me you cast a spell that enabled you to visit me in that memory. A sleeping curse that you could never wake up from. Why did you trade the rest of your life for an hour with Henry and me?”

 

“I came to give you your mother’s message, her hope that you would be strong enough to raise Henry and one day return to save us all.”

 

“You sacrificed yourself to give me a shred of hope. Is that all?” Emma paused, long enough to let her implication fill the silence.

 

Regina willed herself not to blink. “Yes.”

 

It was a test question. They both knew that the Saviour could tell when anyone was lying. They both knew that her superpower would be pinging loudly right now. But which part wasn’t true? It had been a long time since the visit, even longer for one of them, and both were trying to remember exactly what words were said.

 

“I kicked you out early. I need to repay you for those three minutes.”

 

“No, you don’t, Emma, I--”

 

“I will find a way,” vowed Emma. “Those three minutes were worth a lifetime to you. You could’ve been stuck in that poison death sleep forever if it wasn’t for-”

 

“Robin.”

 

Emma’s tone soured. “Yeah, and that’s another thing I need to--”

 

“Not now. He’s here.”

 

Regina gestured with a lift of her chin; Emma had misunderstood her at first but then followed her gaze to see Robin standing at the far end of the Board, blocking the only entrance and exit. He didn’t look happy to see them.

* * *

  


“Robin?” Regina gasped. She rose from her seat. “What happened to you?”

 

As Robin Hood stalked the length of the Board room his appearance came into view. It looked like he’d been in a fist fight, he was covered in bruises and scrapes of dried blood. His face was a strange ruddy colour, swollen and blueish red from the blows he must’ve received. Usually the honourable thief abhorred such base pugilism, preferring to fight his battles with bow and arrow and stealth.

 

When he came closer still she noticed his fists were clenched at his side. He was wound up like a spring ready to explode. This was the confrontation she’d been trying to avoid and now it was set to blow up in her face.

 

Robin glared at her. “Who is he.”

 

“Who?” said Regina, confused.

 

“Stop being coy. The man you’re in love with. WHO IS HE!”

 

Something was off with his entire demeanor but it didn’t stop her being pissed off by the insulting question. “Even if I knew what the hell you were talking about, I wouldn’t dignify that baseless accusation with an answer.”

 

“You’re avoiding me. There must be a reason why you refuse to acknowledge our engagement. WHY?”

 

_We’re not engaged!_ Regina wanted to scream. She screamed it in her mind but the words weren’t coming out of her mouth.

 

“I’ve waited.” Robin paced, circling her like a predator. “Patiently waited for you to come around. But it seems like there’s someone else who’s beaten me to the punch. You think I’m nothing but a common thief. Your heart belongs to another man and yet you’re stringing me along like this to humiliate me.”

 

“I’m doing nothing of the kind. There is no other man.”

 

Robin loomed over her and sneered into her face. “You don’t hold a candle to my first wife, Marian. She was kind, she loved nature, and she would never harm a soul. You’re not worthy of being her child’s mother. You’re not worthy of being anyone’s wife. You’re the Evil Queen. You’re a murdering w-”

 

Apparently Emma couldn't stay out of it any longer. She got up in his face.

 

“Hey!” said Emma, shoving his shoulder. “You don’t get to talk to her like that.”

 

“She’s a faithless LIARRR!”

 

Suddenly Robin took two huge strides to the armoury wall and swept his arms across the weapons that hung there. He kept going until he brought down the lot of it; swords, spears, daggers, the metallic pieces crashed to the floor resulting in a huge clatter. He was a strong, well-built man and even the Queen’s heavy quebracho desk wasn’t a match for him. He pushed it over, sending the papers and inks pots flying.

 

Robin turned upon them again when there was nothing else left to destroy.

 

Emma went to step in front of her but Regina pulled her arm to stop her. “No, Emma, don’t! You’re injured. Stay back.”

 

“I’m not going to let him near you. He could kill you!”

 

“He won’t. He wouldn't do this…”

 

Regina noticed the colour of Robin’s face had deepened on one side, like a giant violet bruise. It wasn’t right, neither was his behaviour. There was only one explanation: magic. She’d seen this before now, a person uncontrollably overtaken by a specific excess of violent behaviour. She’d seen it twice before now.

 

“He’s infected with a Shade!” Regina realised, then turned to Emma. “We need to help him fight it.”

 

“ _Help_ him? Are you crazy?”

 

“It’s not his fault. He doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

 

“What he’s doing is trying to kill us,” muttered Emma, not taking her eyes off the threat.

 

“Robin!” Regina said to him, holding up a pacifying hand. “Listen to me. I can help you. You’re not yourself. You’ve been infected by something called the Shade of Wrath.”  

“I despise magic,” said Robin bitterly. “It’s why I lost Marian. Did you infect me with this?”

 

“No. Of course not, it was the Witch. She infected you with it in order to get to me. Just like with Emma.”

 

Robin sneered. “So it _is_ because of you that my son and I have been dragged into this mess you call your life.”

 

“You need to fight it, Robin. You can fight it-”

 

“Maybe I don’t want to.”

 

Without warning Robin rushed towards her with outstretched hands heading for her throat. His fingers barely brushed the skin of her throat when Emma got in the way and blocked him with her body. Unfortunately Regina was just as quick and had already gathered magic to throw at her attacker.

 

Her magic ended up blasting the both of them backwards before she could retract it.

 

“Emma, you idiot!” hissed the sorceress.

 

Robin and Emma both hit the floor but only one of them got up again. The Saviour cried out in pain and clutched at her side, where her stab wound was probably split open. Robin lunged to his feet, preparing to attack again.

 

“I’ve got a message for the Queen,” he said, eyes glinting with danger.

 

Static exploded in Regina’s ears, so loud it felt like her eardrums would explode. The Queen stretched her jaw to relieve the pain but it wouldn’t stop. She pressed her fingers into her temples. Then she heard the voice again:

 

_“I’m going to take everything from you. First your enemies, then your friends, and then your loved ones. I will take from you what you took from me...”_

 

Regina winced. “Fight it, Robin, please-!”

 

She didn’t want to hurt him. Neither did she want to use magic, which he despised, against him. But without magic she had no recourse against his violent strength. Sass and intimidation and threats would be no match if not backed up by her only source of power.

 

The next time he attacked her he never even got close. The force of her magic sent him flying against the armoury wall. His back hit with a thump, expelling from his mouth a small purple marble which clinked across the stones, and then he sank to the floor unconscious.

 

Seeing that the threat had passed, Regina called to the door for her guards. Her voice would carry down the open corridor and she knew it would be barely thirty seconds before help arrived.

 

Regina checked on Robin first, to make sure he was alive and breathing, and then she rushed over to kneel beside Emma. The injured woman was curled up and panting from the pain.

 

“Idiot,” Regina muttered. She cupped Emma's face and brushed some stray blonde hair back. “You shouldn't have gotten in the way.”

 

Emma huffed. “You're complaining that I tried to protect you? Fine. Next time I'll… no, next time I’ll do exactly the same thing. And the time after that, and the time after that...”

 

“I was in no real danger. There's only one person in this realm who’s as powerful as I am. Robin would not have been able to hurt me.”

 

“Yeah, about that… I need to get something off my chest.”

 

“Really, dear? I do hope it's your shirt.”

 

Regina dropped the sexual innuendo as a distraction so that she could lift Emma's clothing to check her side. There was blood seeping into the bandages, but when she peeked under one of the edges it didn't look too bad. She'd need to change the dressings again though. Her fingers brushed across the taut pale skin of Emma’s waist and she prolonged the contact unnecessarily.

 

When Regina looked up she saw Emma staring at her and felt exposed. She didn't want this Emma to know her true feelings anymore than she wanted the old Emma to know.

 

“What.”

 

“Are you really going to marry that guy?”

  
  
  



	13. Pawn storm

 

_ Summer Palace ruins _

 

“Prince Henry!” Jenna hissed, searching for the boy in the dark. “Where are you?”

 

“Over here!” Henry called back. 

 

The twelve-year-old made his way down what was left of the unlit corridor, taking care to avoid the sharp fragments of broken stones littering the floor. The Palace had been abandoned after the attack, and though the sun wasn’t yet set, it was dark inside as no servants were around to light the candle fixtures. This part of the Palace was adjacent to the battlements and though it was not hit as hard it had suffered a fair bit of damage.

 

Jenna sighed and followed behind with her combat torch held high. “We should go back and find the others. We’ll have missed the checkpoint by now and Commander Bishop will be wanting a report. We’ve already gone beyond the search area.”

 

“We can’t go back,” said Henry stubbornly. “We haven’t found anything yet.”

 

“That might be a blessing.”

 

“ _ How _ ?”

 

“Well...” 

 

“We’re supposed to find my grandparents! I’m not going back until I know what happened to them.”

 

“Your Highness,” Jenna said, patiently explaining. “The fact that we’ve not found anything might mean they are still alive. If they are, they would hardly have stayed here. We haven’t found their bodies, in fact, we haven’t found any bodies at all which is strange. Though of course, the battlements have been reduced to dust along with anyone inside.”

 

Henry felt the sudden rush of sadness that came over him. Along with Emma and Anna, he’d witnessed the battlements fall himself. It seemed impossible that anyone could have survived it. But he couldn’t help believing that there was some chance -- no matter how infinitesimal -- that his family had escaped somehow.

 

“There’s-” Henry’s voice choked, either on dust or emotion. He coughed. “There’s still a chance. My Mom and I lived in San Francisco for a while -- they have a lot of earthquakes there -- and sometimes people can survive collapsed buildings by becoming trapped in spaces called ‘voids’.”

 

“Did you learn that at school?”

 

“No, I saw a documentary about it on TV. It’s like a box-thing with lots of moving pictures sent from far away and taken in the past and-... you know what, never mind. It’s hard to explain.”

 

“I’m not stupid,” said Jenna shortly.

 

“W-what-?” Henry stammered. “I never said- ...I don’t think you’re stupid. You’re… you’re not!”

 

They walked on, an awkward silence growing between them. As they neared the next section of the Palace it became apparent that most of the structure had collapsed. It looked like what remained of the ballroom was now filled with slanted heavy wooden beams, large sections of stone ceilings, and ruined tapestries. 

 

“Jenna, I’m really sorry-” Henry started to apologise when she cut him off.

 

“Shhh!” Jenna put a finger to her lips. She mouthed inaudibly in the candlelight, “Did you hear that?”

 

Henry shook his head and listened hard. 

 

The only sound was of a few tiny rocks shifting in the rubble. Or maybe rats scurrying about in the dark. Hopefully it was just rats and not anything worse.

 

“I’m going to check it out,” said Jenna. “See what’s under the rubble.”

 

“That’s a really bad idea.” 

 

“Awesome. I’m gonna do it.”

 

Jenna took off her sword and handed it to Henry and before he could order her not to, she was already stepping through a triangular opening formed by the junction of two beams. She crawled expertly through the slim gaps and soon disappeared from view.

 

_ Why didn’t I stop her!  _ thought Henry. It was ridiculously dangerous to enter a collapsed building without equipment or protective gear. Especially when no-one knew where they were. But Jenna had her own definition of risk apparently.

 

“Be careful!” Henry hissed and poked his head in after her. “What can you see?”

 

Henry doubted there was going to be anything to find in the mess. It was the ballroom after all, it’s not like there had been a ball happening when the Palace was attacked. Surely there wouldn’t have been any people in there at the time.

 

“Jenna! Are you ok?... Jenna?”

 

He peered through the gaps and saw her combat light glinting. He winced when it flashed off of something shiny and hit his eyes. The light was reflecting off something, maybe a glass or mirror, and when the light moved again there was… gold.

 

“Prince Henry!” Jenna called from within. She sounded urgent and worried.

 

“What is it?” Henry replied. “Did you find something? Someone?”

 

“Yes! Oh my heavens, you have  _ got _ to see this. Get in here now!”

* * *

 

_ Winter Castle _

 

It was after dusk by the time Doc left Robin’s quarters. 

 

The outlaw was going to be fine, in fact, he’d recovered much more quickly than Emma had from a similar Shade. No doubt she’d fared worse due to being starved, stabbed, and hypothermic before infection had taken hold. 

 

There was another difference between the two’s experiences… Robin’s rage had been completely out of control whereas Emma had been able to fight her infection, to the extent that she’d held back from killing the sister she envied and she’d been conscious enough to break through it when attacking Regina. Perhaps it was because she was the Saviour, after all, Emma had demonstrated powerful magic in the past and no-one -- not even she -- understood it completely. Or perhaps there was another reason?

 

Regina knocked on the door to Robin’s quarters and was admitted by him. She was surprised to see him fully dressed -- including outerwear -- suitable for a Winter trek. Beside the bed she noted his belongings (pack, bow, and arrows) were gathered and ready.

 

“You’re leaving.” Regina said without preamble. “Tonight?”

 

Robin sighed. “Yes, milady. I feel I must.”

 

“Not because of--”

 

“No,” he stopped her from mentioning the evening’s earlier events. “And also yes. Though I have no memory of what happened, I’ve heard enough from others to understand what transpired. Regina, Your Majesty, I cannot begin to apologise enough for my despicable words and actions tonight.”

 

“You were under the influence of an unnatural magic. You weren’t yourself.”

 

Robin lowered his eyes. “I’m told this magic amplifies feelings that are already there...”

 

Regina did not confirm it but her silence did it for her. Some of the accusations Robin had made were true and were based on his true feelings. They both knew he had repressed his frustrations with her reticence towards him, though he would never have expressed them so nastily. She did not love him, she would not marry him, and she had not communicated either of those facts to him. It had taken him a while to realise it by himself.

 

“As for our engagement,” Robin went on. “I overstepped and made an assumption there. Tinkerbell said we were soulmates and I think I desired it to be true more than felt it to be so. After I lost Marian I threw myself into my cause: thieving for the benefit of the poor, leading my men, and caring for my son. My life moved on. But now I cannot turn my back on what saved me.”

 

“This…” Robin glanced around the ceiling and gestured to the dark stone walls of the Castle. “This isn’t me. I don’t belong here. But you, milady,… you are a Queen. Your people need you. I can no more ask you to give up your life any more than I can ask that of myself.”

 

Regina crossed her satin-clad arms across her bodice. It was uncomfortable to be reminded of how her mother had groomed her from birth for a position she hadn’t even wanted. Maybe it was finally starting to suit her despite her initial reticence. “You think I belong here?”

 

Robin smiled, all charm. “I can’t see you roughing it in the forest, living in a camp and sleeping on the ground.”

 

“Indeed. I don’t do forest … or dirt. Even for a potential soulmate.”

 

“Perhaps we were fated to meet for some other purpose.”

 

She was going to do it. She was going to let him walk out of her life. Regina had been deliberating over the question for days now: What if he was her soulmate after all and she willingingly gave up her chance with him? Pixiedust never lied… but neither did her heart, and right now it was pointing towards someone else and beating faster for them only. And even though there was no chance there either her traitorous heart could not let go of hope that it could happen.

 

It was disgusting really, how much influence Snow White must’ve had on her.

 

The outlaw went to shoulder his pack and weapons. “I must see whether Roland and Tip are ready to leave.”

 

“Robin, wait--”

 

He stopped, and she pretended not to see the hope in his countenance.

 

“It’s about Tip,” said Regina, wringing her hands. “It’s not what you think. No-one can know that child is travelling with you, it could put you all at risk.”

 

Robin’s brow lowered in a show of annoyance. “I will not abandon my friend like the rest of the world has done. I do not share their prejudice.”

 

“Nor do I,” the Queen was quick to say. “You must keep Tip safe. It’s important.”

 

“Of course. I will protect the lad as though he were my own son.”

 

“When you rejoin your men head far away from here. If you’ve nowhere better to go, perhaps the lakes district? I hear the Spring has been very wet this year.”

 

Regina noted that Robin didn’t seem to catch on to why she’d made her suggestion but he nodded anyway. As long as no-one knew where Tip was -- or  _ who _ he really was -- they would be safe. They’d be even safer in a place full of water. 

 

Surely the Witch, rumoured to be deathly allergic to water, would never venture to go there.

* * *

 

Emma was pacing around the Queen’s chambers waiting for her to return. God, that woman was infuriating! She just wanted to sit Regina down and tie her to a chair until she explained what the hell was going on in this crazy world.

 

Henry was on a dangerous rescue mission, flying monkeys had killed her parents, and her former childhood hero Robin Hood had turned evil temporarily. It was all because of some plan of the Wicked Witch of the West and nobody except Regina seemed to know what was going on but  _ she _ wasn’t being forthcoming either. In some ways, this world was even more ridiculous than the one she’d been plucked out of.

 

The bailbondsperson was not good at sitting around and waiting for something to happen. She needed to take action. Being injured was a huge source of frustration for her. Speaking of which --- earlier, after the attack, Regina had made quick work of changing Emma’s bandages and checking her wound. But then she’d left to go see Doc about Robin.  _ Ugh. _ It was just maddening-- …  _ I don’t even know why I’m so pissed off at her! _

 

Emma stopped in her tracks when she heard the doorknob turn. 

 

It actually was Regina for once and she was caught without words for a second by her appearance.

 

Somehow in all of the evening’s chaos the Queen had managed to change her outfit. She was now wearing a black-to-indigo ombre silk dress with a full skirt, decorated with a random scatter of diamonds. She actually looked like she was  _ wearing _ the night sky against her skin. She looked utterly....

 

“Gorgeous,” breathed Emma.

 

Regina startled.

 

“I mean--” Emma shook her head to free her thoughts. Her mouth was dry with nerves when she went to speak. “You’re not seriously thinking of marrying that guy are you? Because you can’t.”

 

“Excuse me?” said Regina, cool and affronted. “You, Emma Swan --  _ the _ Emma Swan who never does a damn thing I ask -- have the presumption to tell me what I can or can’t do?”

 

“It's not just because he was a complete asshole under the influence of that Shade thing tonight. You can’t marry someone you don’t know. They told me you only just met him. It’s stupid. It’s insane. You can’t marry someone just because you think it’s fate or because some dust tells you to. That’s not a choice, that’s just floating along with whatever happens and letting someone else decide your life. Geez, Regina, this is just like your first marriage.”

 

Regina eyes narrowed dangerously. “Is it.”

 

“Yes!” Emma carried on, unable to stop herself now. “Does this guy even love you. Or does he just want a replacement for his dead wife and someone to babysit his motherless child? You can’t willingly make this mistake again. You  _ know _ where this road goes.”

 

“I see someone has been filling you in on my past.”

 

They stared off at each other for a minute before Regina flicked her gaze away. The Queen went to her dresser, accompanied by the soft swish of her satin skirt as it brushed the floor, and made herself the task of rearranging the items. When she raised her eyes again, they both saw Emma in the mirror’s reflection standing behind her with her leather jacket clad arms crossed and glaring.

“What does  _ he _ think of your past?” said Emma pointedly. “The whole evil dark magic thing?”

 

“Robin hates magic.”

 

“Don’t you think that’s a dealbreaker? He doesn’t know the real you if he can’t accept that part of you. How can someone love you without knowing your past. The past matters. It makes us who we are.”

 

“Says the woman who refused to drink the potion that would restore her past memories.”

 

Emma shifted. “That’s different.”

 

Regina turned around to face her, visible anger simmering below the surface. “How? Maybe you _ like _ having Henry to yourself. Maybe you like not having to think about how you gave him up when he was a baby. Maybe you like living the lie that your life really is.”

 

_ It’s not a lie, it’s not a lie! It can’t be!  _ Emma refused to believe it. She’d been alone her whole life apart from her years with Henry. He was her son. She couldn’t imagine giving him up and missing out on his life and being there for him. The idea of living through the last 12 years without him filled her with a cold empty dread. If this world was real -- and everything they were telling her was true -- then her life  _ was _ indeed a lie and she really was the deadbeat mother who’d abandoned her son.

 

_ I can’t lose him. Not to anyone, not even her. _

 

_ I certainly can’t let her ride off into the sunset with some guy and my son. It’d be just like always, everyone but me gets to be happy and I’d be alone. And for what. Some ridiculous pixidust-arrange marriage? _

 

_ No. I can’t let her do this. _

 

Emma could see it in her mind, the photo Regina had brought to her during her visit. The two of them together, both standing behind Henry. Two moms and their son. A real family. Now that the idea was in her head she realised how badly she wanted it to be real. It was everything she’d always secretly wanted. 

 

_ If only it could be real... _

 

She could no longer see the difference between wanting Regina to be free and wanting her to free  _ for her _ . Her motives where the Queen was concerned weren't exactly selfless now, if they had ever been. She’d said before that she wasn’t going to interfere and wreck things for Regina. But now that she’d started she couldn’t stop herself.

 

“Look, I get it.” Emma tucked her thumbs into the waistband of her breeches. “You’re a fairytale character, you want a happy ending. But I’m a real person and I’m telling you, this isn’t enough. Don’t give up your independence for anyone. I saw you two together... If you're going to do something stupid for love at least wait for someone you’re actually attracted to.”

 

That got her attention.

 

Regina took slow even steps until they were face-to-face and barely a foot apart. “Should I wait then. Until I find another option more … attractive to me hmm?”

 

Emma swallowed hard and willed herself not to glance down at the cleavage peeking out of the dark satin bodice lined with icy diamond shards. Did being this close to Regina always have this effect on her? It was like her body was thrumming, alive, and hyper-aware of the infuriating beauty’s proximity. Was her old self constantly in a state of arousal, wanting more of her closeness, even when they clashed?

 

Regina was still staring her down. “Is that what you've been doing in New York for the past year. Waiting? Did you never date anyone, Em-ma?”

 

Her throat went dry at the way Regina pronounced her name just now and she gulped. 

 

“Well, I… ok, fine. I dated. Before I came here I was with someone and she was… nice, but we weren't serious. I-I'm not really the relationship type. I didn’t date when Henry was little, I was always working. But recently I’ve been with… uh women, yeah.”

 

Regina held her gaze, eyes of dark burning coals, and there was something else showing there too. She actually looked… hurt. As though she'd been betrayed or let down somehow. It only showed on the Queen’s face for a fleeting moment before being replaced by an icy shutter. She was closed off for now. 

 

_ What did I say that upset her like that -- Apart from all of it. What am I even doing telling her off about her love life like I know her when I actually don’t? Why would she be upset that I’ve dated other women? _

 

“Robin’s gone,” Regina said flatly. “I let him go -- along with my last chance for a so-called fairytale happy ending. So it seems your officious opinions are unnecessary. I’m as alone as ever.”

 

Suddenly Emma felt about an inch tall. She’d misjudged this conversation badly. Berating Regina for her non-choice in suitor when all the woman wanted was the chance to be happy. What Emma wanted to say now was to argue that Robin was  _ not _ Regina’s last chance at happiness. Even if the two of them never made sense of themselves and got together. But it would seem twee coming from her now to say something like not to give up hope of finding someone.

 

Emma blurted out without knowing what to say next. “Regina, I-”

 

“I have to put your sister to bed. It takes some time to settle her down.” 

 

“Are you coming back afterwards? Maybe we can talk more?”

 

Regina didn’t answer but as she went to leave she stopped in the doorway to shoot her a sarcastic smile that was almost a sneer. “Don’t wait up, dear.”

 

Yet again it seemed the Queen would not be returning to her chambers to sleep while ever Emma was there.

* * *

  
  


_ Nursery _

 

“Mommieeeeeee…. Mommieeeeeee,” Anna wailed pitifully.

 

Regina swayed side-to-side, hugging the littlest Charming to her chest as she cried her heart out for her parents. 

 

Bedtime was the most difficult time of the day for the baby. They managed to keep her distracted and occupied during the day tolerably well, but at night all hell of tantrums broke loose. She cried until she was hoarse, asking over and over for her Mommy and Daddy. She didn’t understand why they weren’t around anymore.

 

Her godmother was the only one who could soothe her and eventually Anna would exhaust herself to sleep. But the baby had to be held the entire time. If she was put down for a minute she’d immediately wake and start crying all over again.

 

The former Mayor of Storybroke had plenty of experience with a crying baby and didn’t mind it much. It made her remember Henry at that age. Even when it was hard and she felt alone and like she had no idea what she was doing, every moment was a fond memory for her. He was so beautiful as a precious newborn but now he was all grown up and gone off on a brave rescue mission. No matter how old or tall he got he would always be her baby boy.

 

Regina’s heart ached to know if her son was safe. Today had been a trying, frustrating day and she felt like crying and throwing a temper herself.

 

Anna whimpered and clung to her like a koala, burying her hot little face into her neck.

 

“I know, baby,” murmured Regina, rubbing circles on her back. “I know.”

 

Finally, the little girl seemed to be nodding off. Regina held her for a while until she was sure the baby was fully asleep before placing her gently into the crib. She tucked the purple pig in and pulled the blanket up over them both. Regina watched the baby’s quiet breathing, marvelling at what a beautiful child she was. Not for the first time she noticed how much the little girl with angelic golden curls resembled Emma. She had to force herself not to imagine a life she had no right to be thinking about.

 

Tink knocked softly on the door and tiptoed into the nursery. The fairy kept her voice at a whisper. “Hi. Robin’s just left. I came to see how you are.”

 

“I’m fine.”

 

“Are you sure?” Tink gave her a perceptive look. “I saw him in a rage at the tavern. I heard what happened later. I can’t believe he attacked you!”

 

Regina felt the prick of tears forming and covered her eyes with her hand. It was no use hiding though, Tink could already see she was upset.

 

The fairy took her free hand and held it. “Oh no. You’re not fine are you.” 

 

“I let him go.”

 

“I thought you didn’t have feelings for him?”

 

“I don’t. That’s not why…It’s-… Tink, what if it was my last chance and I just let it go. I didn’t even really try to like him. Maybe I could have tried harder. Maybe what I want isn’t real.”

 

Tink sighed. “This is my fault. If only we hadn’t done that pixiedust spell. You wouldn’t be doubting yourself like this. You shouldn’t force yourself to be with someone when the feelings aren’t there.”

 

“So I’ve heard,” Regina said shortly. She swiped at her cheek.

 

Tink pulled her out of the nursery and closed the door softly behind so they could talk without risk of waking the baby. It was obvious the fairy wasn’t going to let her get away with not talking about it. Regina wasn’t used to having a friend like her -- or any friend.

 

“What's happened?” asked Tink.

 

Regina grumbled, “Emma.”

 

“Ah, I see. I don’t suppose you’ve had a heart to heart?”

 

“No. We had a fight instead.” 

 

Regina filled her fairy friend in on the particulars of Emma’s arguments against her marrying Robin Hood. Not only had Robin assumed they would get married but apparently everyone else did too, before Regina even had time to think about whether she would want to or not. And then Emma had caught wind of it and gone into Saviour Mode to tell her every single reason why she shouldn’t.

 

When in reality there was only one reason. Her heart didn’t want  _ him _ . It was full of someone else. She loved the one she wasn’t supposed to love.

 

“Don’t you see?” Tink said excitedly. “Emma’s jealous! Why else would she be so adamant that you not marry him.”

 

“She makes me  _ so _ angry.” Regina set her jaw and began to pace, off in her own world replaying the entire argument. “She said if I married him it would be like my first marriage. How would  _ she _ know! She wasn’t even born when I was being force-marched down the aisle towards a man older than my father. She has no idea how things were for me back then. I don’t like having it brought up and thrown in my face. Especially by her.”

 

“Even if Emma doesn’t know it yet, even if she doesn’t remember the past... -- Regina, she wants you for herself. Believe me. Anyone can see that her love for you persists even without her memories.”

 

“I gave my son to her. I put myself in a sleeping curse for her and now I’ve given up the only person who’s actually wanted me in -- decades! and what has she been doing all this time? Having flings with half the women in New York.”

 

“Wow,” said Tink, giggling at the exaggeration. “That’s a lot of women.”

 

Regina felt her cheeks burning. “Shut up.” 

 

“You’re jealous. You both are.”

 

The sound of voices and footsteps in the corridor stopped the conversation in its tracks. Both the Queen and the fairy held off speaking again until whoever-they-were had passed and were safely out of earshot. The last thing Regina wanted was more rumours about the state of her pathetic love life. She had to remain an implacable intimidating figure. It would not do for the populace to think she was pining after a woman like a lovesick fool.

 

Tink whispered. “Clearly you both have feelings for each other, you’re both single, you share a son. You’re both in the same realm for once. So what’s the problem?”

 

“We can’t be together,” Regina dismissed the idea.

 

“Why?”

 

“I can’t be with her if she doesn’t remember what we’ve been through together and who I really am. The past matters -- she said so herself. But if she drinks the potion to get her real memories back ... Even if she can look past the fact that I’m the Evil Queen, she’ll remember giving up Henry and being without him for ten years. She’ll be devastated to relive that again.”

 

“But it’s the truth.”

 

“Yes, but I'd be trading her happiness for my own and she would hate me for it. Even more than she already does.”

 

Tink let out a noise of frustration. “Regina! I can’t believe you choose now of all times to be noble. You always find some reason or other to sabotage your own happy ending. You’re just afraid. Of course Emma doesn’t hate you! One day you’re going to wake up and realise you should’ve taken the chance to tell her how you feel. Don’t leave it til it’s too late… Hey, where are you going?” 

 

“Regina, wait. ...  _ Regina _ !”

 

The Queen was already walking away, having turned halfway through the fairy’s latest lecture when it began to hit too close to the mark. She called back over her shoulder, “Leave me alone. I’ve had enough of irritating blondes today.”

 

“Unreal,” said Tink, full of offense at the blow-off. “You haven’t changed a bit! You’re still slamming doors shut on your own happiness and I’m sick of trying to pry them open for you.”

 

The fairy stomped her fluffy green boots on the stone floor, hmphed, and stalked off in the opposite direction.

* * *

 

_ Summer palace ruins _

 

Henry coughed on some dust and continued making his way through what was left of the crumbled ballroom. His mouth and throat were dry from breathing in the ruins for so long. The smell of rot and mildew hiding in the wooden ceiling had been exposed by the monkeys’ projectiles.

 

Jenna led him on the path she'd taken herself, taking extra care to check the stability of the beams laying overhead before the Prince moved under them. It would be the end of her career and/or life if she ended up leading the heir to the throne into more danger than she could get him out of. The spaces were tight with the two of them cramped together. Especially for Henry, who was taller and less athletic and kept bashing his elbows and knees.

 

“Careful, Your Highness,” warned Jenna, crouched in the dim light of her combat torch.

 

Henry exhaled with effort. “Can you drop the title and call me Henry please? Technically I’ve only been a Prince for a few days.”

 

“You're the Queen’s son and heir. I will do her no such disrespect. Especially now.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Something shifted above causing a shower of dust and crumbly stone to rain down on them. They both began to cough.

 

“Are you going to tell me what's here?” asked Henry.

 

“I can't,” said Jenna. “You should see for yourself.”

 

Jenna took his hand and pulled him through the last manoeuvre. The twisted rubble opened into a void. She held up the torch and immediately the light reflected off of the shiny surfaces ahead and caught flashes of gold similar to what they’d seen before.

 

The two pre-teens were crouched in front of a large glass enclosure of some sort raised on a gold dias, curled around which were vines of golden metal. There was a symbol engraved into a seal on the side -- a tree in a circle -- and a bed of velvet at about waist height.

 

It was a glass coffin.

 

Henry grabbed Jenna’s hand to raise the torch so they could peer through the glass and see who, if anyone, was inside. He laid his hand on the smooth glass and felt that it was deathly cold. When the boy realised who it was lying there still and motionless as though dead, the image would haunt him for a long time.

 

“M-Mom?” said Henry, staring in disbelief.

 

His mother, Regina, lay in the coffin dressed fully in a black dress that looked regal rather than somber. Her dark hair was adorned with a coronet of gold and jewels signifying her status as Queen. She was not pale, in fact her skin was its usual olive tone and though there wasn’t even the slightest motion of her chest that would imply she was breathing, she appeared to be merely sleeping.

 

“I’m sorry, Your Highness,” said Jenna solemnly.

 

“I - I don’t understand,” said Henry, bending nearer to the glass for a closer look. “I saw her. I spoke to her. This can’t be my Mom.”

 

“Then who is at the Winter Castle, some imposter impersonating the Queen? We must warn the others as soon as possible.”

 

“No--” Henry shook his head slowly, trying to work out the puzzle with the same intuition that’d helped him uncover the curse that besieged Storybrooke. “It couldn’t be the Witch in disguise. The one I spoke to was definitely my Mom. I know it was her. She’s still there with Anna.”

 

“Then how is she here in this coffin?”

 

Henry remembered back to when he and Emma arrived in this realm. One of the first things they’d both wanted to do was go to find Regina. His grandparents had told them that the Queen had already been woken from the Sleeping Curse that she’d put herself under by Robin Hood. Everyone assumed that he’d given her True Love’s Kiss. Henry had chided his birth mother for being too late to be the one who accomplished that task. 

 

Henry’s face transformed with realisation. “What if she’s both? They told us my Mom was already woken from the Sleeping Curse, but what if she  _ wasn’t _ ! What if her body is still here asleep but she’s also at the Castle somehow. Like she’s in two places at once.”

 

“I…I will take your word for it, Prince, if that’s what you think.”

 

“What if she’s sleepwalking?”

 

Jenna’s brow furrowed. “Like when you get up in the middle of the night to raid the icebox for food?”

 

“Sort of. I read an article on the internet once about sleepwalkers… In rare cases they can talk and walk around like normal people even though they’re actually asleep. Sometimes it can be dangerous. It’s usually only when someone’s in a really deep sleep so I guess a Sleeping Curse is worse than that.”

 

“You should wake her.”

 

“No,” said Henry, alarmed. “I think that’s why this happened. She was kissed by the wrong person and that’s why she didn’t really wake up. I knew it! Only her True Love can wake her. ”

 

Jenna smiled, as though humouring him. “I think you’ve been listening to too many fairy stories.”

 

“No way, I think I’m finally figuring this one out. My Mom put herself under a Sleeping Curse thinking that nobody would ever be able to wake her because she doesn’t believe she has a True Love anymore. But she  _ does _ ! The only one who can save her is her  _ real _ soulmate, someone who believes in her as much as I do.”

 

“And who is that?”

 

Henry grinned from ear to ear. “My other Mom of course, Emma. The Princess is going to wake the Queen and then together they’ll save everyone from the Witch. It’s perfect.”

 

_ HAHAHAHAHAHA!... HAHAHAHAHAHA!... HAHAHAHAHAHA! _

 

A deep cackling laugh echoed through the ruined castle, causing them both to jump. It sounded like it was coming from every different point of the old ballroom, not any particular direction. A sudden wind blew through the wreck as though someone was blowing out the candles.

 

The last thing the kids saw was a flash of a green and a face before Jenna’s combat torch went out, plunging them into total darkness.

  
  
  
  



	14. Bring out the lady

The next morning Emma awoke alone in the Queen’s bed (again). She threw on her clothes, scoffed down the usual breakfast which was waiting for her, and then headed out into the Castle to see if she could find Regina so that she could try to apologise for last night's fight. 

 

Though it was still early, the corridors were full of servants already going about their daily business and even when Emma stopped someone who wasn’t busy they weren’t sufficiently important to know the Queen’s whereabouts and schedule. She’d had no luck so far.

 

The woman was Royalty for god’s sake --  _ somebody _ would have to know where she was at all times, surely. 

 

“Swan!” an accented voice called out to her. “Over here, love.”

 

Ugh. It was that degenerate pirate Hook. He waved his black leather-clad hooked arm at her to come over to him outside the mess hall. _I’m going to regret this_ , Emma thought to herself as she decided to head over. As unpleasant as the guy was, he was one of the only people she knew in the entire realm.

 

Once she reached Hook’s vicinity, Emma recoiled at the waft of stale alcohol on him.

 

“Good to see you have your sea legs back, Swan,” said Hook, trying his best at a disarming smile. He was handsome, she supposed, if she had’ve been interested she might’ve thought so.

 

Emma noticed one of his eyes was purpled. “How’d you get that shiner -- did someone give you what you deserve?”

 

“Alas, not everyone finds me as irresistibly charming as you do. Robin Hood clocked me one when I suggested that his pursuit of a certain lady was not exactly a returned voyage.”

 

“Perhaps you should take your own advice.”

 

“You'll come around and see things my way.” He winked.

 

Emma rolled her eyes. “How many times do I have to say ‘fuck off’ before you’ll listen?”

 

“A few more.”

 

It was then that she noticed he wasn’t alone. There was a pixie-like woman standing next to him with flyaway blonde hair piled on top of her head and startling green eyes that matched her fluffy hooded cape and boots. The tiny woman’s arms were folded across her chest and she had a huffy expression on her face that only lifted when she recognised Emma.

 

“Hi Emma! How are you feeling?” said pixie-face in an Australian accent, making Emma wonder whether everyone in this realm had some random speech inflection. She had no idea who this woman was, though apparently pixie-face knew her.

 

“Better,” replied Emma. “Thanks. Um... sorry, do I know you?”

 

“She’s Tinkerbell,” said Hook. “You won’t remember but you met her in Neverland.”

 

Pixie-face backhanded him in the chest, proving she was feisty. “I can introduce myself, thank you very much!”

 

Emma blinked. This world just kept getting more and more crazy. “Wait, you’re --  _ Tinkerbell _ ? The fairy from Peter Pan who gives him pixiedust so he can fly?”

 

“Well,” Tinkerbell hummed. “Sort of. I’ve had a lifetime ban on giving pixiedust away … nevermind. It’s a long story.”

 

If someone had told Emma not long ago that she’d one day be invited to breakfast by two characters from one of her favourite childhood tales she’d have thought them insane. Thankfully she was able to get out of it without lying, saying that she’d already eaten, and would be able to continue her search alone. Before she could think of a strategy to get the information she wanted without seeming too obvious the fairy had figured her out somehow.

 

Tinkerbelle had a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “She’s gone riding.”

“Who?” said Emma.

 

“Regina. That’s who you’re looking for isn’t it. She just left, if you hurry you might catch her.”

 

Hook began to protest but they both ignored him. Emma managed to relay some hasty thanks to the tiny fairy before she bolted towards the nearest stone staircase in search of an exit. 

* * *

  
  


_ Winter Castle, commons _

 

The Queen swept out of her Castle, striding with purpose. 

 

Stress had finally caught up with her and the best solution she could think of was to get the hell away from all of it. Though she had never done so in Storybrooke because of the associated traumatic memories, her inclination today was to revive the cherished past-time of her youth by going riding. It had been long enough and non-magic transport in this land was limited.

 

Her cape billowed behind her as she made her way into the outdoors, encountering the fresh snowfall from last night. The sky was gloomy and threatened more precipitation later, but the solitude of the bare woods called to her. She was impatient to get out there and feel the wind whip at her face.

 

“Have one of my Knights saddled immediately.” Regina gave the order to the nearest of her guards.

 

“Yes, Majesty.” The guard bowed and ran off towards the stables to instruct the groomsman. When he returned he was leading an enormous stallion with a shiny coal-black coat. It was clear from the horse’s blustering and tail swishing that he was impatient for some exercise.

 

Regina smiled, recognising the identity of one of her black Knights. It was Widowmaker, a difficult two year old who had made an astonishing recovery from some stable vices he’d acquired due to boredom. He was exactly the sort of challenge she loved in a horse. With a pang, she remembered her old best friend, Rocinante, who also abhorred having nothing to do.

 

Widowmaker snorted and turned both his head and attention to the Queen. Rather than using words, Regina let her body language show her intent to take charge of their ride together.

 

She was about to take the reigns and swing herself into the saddle when she noticed one of the stallion’s ears pricked backwards. Something behind in the distance must’ve caught his hearing. Then she heard it too. Running footsteps.

 

Now someone was calling for her.

 

_ “Regina, wait!” _

 

Regina cursed under her breath and turned around to see her favourite annoyance catching up to her. Emma was underdressed for braving the outdoors of Winter but of course she was outside anyway. Her leather boots crunched in the snow with every jog and she nearly slipped several times. Typical.

 

When she got closer, the Saviour eyed the height of the horse warily and gave him a wide berth as she approached. She seemed relieved to see the Queen. But after last night’s fight, Regina wasn’t so keen to see her.

 

“Go back,” said Regina, all snippy. 

 

“I’m coming with you,” said Emma. Her smile was almost sweet.

 

“No, you aren’t. You’ll catch your death wearing only that.” 

 

“You’re such a mom,” teased Emma. Her teeth were clenched to keep them from chattering. “It can’t be as bad as New York in the winter. At least the snow here doesn’t turn the streets into dirty slush.”

 

“If you think that festering wound in your side is bad without antibiotics you won’t enjoy pneumonia.”

 

“It’s looking better today. Less pus.”

 

“Charming,” scoffed Regina.

 

The Queen watched Emma dance from foot to foot, her entire body rigid from the bone-chilling cold. She blew into her cupped hands a few times and then smiled cheerfully, as though nothing at all was wrong and she’d like nothing better than going for a ride together in the frozen woods.

 

Regina had to restrain herself from setting the Saviour on fire with a well-placed fireball. She ripped off her own cream-coloured cloak and swung it around Emma’s shoulders. Before the recipient could protest, she re-did the silver clasp around the other woman’s neck and pulled the fur-lined hood over to cover the trademark blonde curls. It annoyed her how adorable Emma looked wearing it.

 

“Keep the hood up,” the Queen warned. “You’ll lose less body heat.”

 

“Thanks. But won’t you be cold without it?” asked Emma, eyeing the Queen’s black-indigo satin dress.

 

Regina shook her head once, easily recalling the burn of nightmarish fires from the time she’d spent recently under her own sleeping curse. “No. I’m used to these conditions, I lived here for a long time.”

 

“When?”

 

_Before you were born._ _Before my life changed from one exile to another kind of exile -- a self-imposed one. Storybrooke was frozen in time until you turned up and shattered the life I sacrificed everything for._

 

Regina ignored the question by asking one of her own. “Do you ride, Miss Swan?”

 

Emma cringed. “The subway, yes. Horses? No.”

 

“It doesn’t have to be a Knight, we have experienced horses in the Royal stable. Could you handle a mature mare?”

 

“Yeah um,” Emma bit her chapped lips together. “I don’t even know what that means. I’ve never… horsed before.”

 

“Never mind,” Regina muttered to herself. Hiding a sigh of disappointment, she handed Widowmaker’s reigns back to the guard and instructed him to relay to the groomsman to exercise the Knight instead. Once they were gone, the Queen set off, expecting Emma to follow her.

 

“So where are we going?” asked Emma, hot on her heels.

 

“Into the woods,” said Regina. “I need to check on something and thanks to you we’re travelling on foot like peasants.”

 

They headed for the treeline, every step crunching the thick pelt of snow that had covered the ground over night.

* * *

 

_ Mess hall, Winter Castle _

 

“Ugh, what are you eating?” said Tink, wrinkling her nose at the smell coming from her companion’s food. She sat down with her own breakfast across from him at the trestle table.

 

Hook stabbed the contents of his bowl with the fork in his only hand. The handsome pirate grinned, revealing a full set of straight white teeth. “Pirate’s Breakfast,” he said. “Tomato, onion, and fried eel.”

 

“ _ Why _ .”

 

“It’s a habit I picked up at sea to prevent scurvy. It tastes better than a mouth full of bleeding gums and it keeps my ladykiller smile intact. See?”

 

“But that  _ smell _ … How do you stand it. I thought you were hungover.”

 

“It’s not hungover if you’re still drinking.” The pirate winked and took a swig of rum from a hip flask.

 

Tink rolled her eyes and started in on her breakfast of fruits, nuts, and cheeses. She did her best to concentrate on the smells and tastes of her own food, trying not to imagine how his must be tasting. The two of them had never dined together when in Neverland, but she had to admit that he ate better than the orphaned boys did when left to their own devices. Or perhaps his tastebuds were too rum-soaked to notice.

 

The fairy stifled a laugh remembering all the times Regina had accurately referred to Hook as ‘that stinky pirate’.

 

“What are you giggling at, Miss Tinker,” said Hook. “Have you and your friend been gossipping about me behind my back?”

 

Tink’s smile faded. “I’m not sure she’s my friend anymore.”

 

“Regina?” Hook looked surprised and then waved her off. “Cheer up, love. She’ll get over it. It’s not like she’s got a large supply of friends in her port. Like a hurricane, most people steer well clear of the Queen if they’re sensible.”

 

“Hey, she’s not that bad.”

 

“So what did you two ladies fight about. Hair, makeup, or shoes?”

 

Tink gave him the most murderous death glare she could muster. “Keep going and I’ll give you another black eye to match that one.”

* * *

 

_ Winter woods _

 

The Queen kept a watchful eye on their surroundings at all times. Not many threats would be able to keep hidden in the woods with its naked trees and stark whiteness but she was not looking for any ordinary enemy.

 

Despite interrupting her riding plans, Emma’s presence did not prove to be an annoyance and although Regina knew she should not encourage their closeness, she couldn’t help but enjoy the other woman’s company. The Queen wanted her near yet she knew what she  _ should _ want, which was to protect herself by keeping the mother of her son at a distance. It was useless though. Near or far, she craved more of her.

 

“So, uh,” Emma started, apparently unable to keep silent any longer. “I’m sorry about going off at you yesterday. It’s none of my business who you date. Or marry. Especially if you like him -- or her -- or whichever. Um, yeah. I-… I was just thinking about how it would affect Henry.”

 

Regina bristled. “Henry.”

 

“Yeah. Cos uh, it’s your choice if you want to marry an asshole but don’t drag the kid into it.”

 

“Do you actually think I would prioritise anyone in my life above my son? If I were that selfish do you think I’d give him up to the person who tried to ruin the life I’d built, for the sole reason that he would be safe and happy there?”

 

“I tried to ruin your life?” 

 

“You threatened to take my son from me despite having no legal claim to him by the way. For a time you actually succeeded in driving a wedge between us.”

 

Instead of looking guilty, Emma seemed intrigued by the new information. “You must really hate me huh. Cos I have him now and you don’t.”

 

Regina knew full well that Emma was pushing her buttons on purpose, trying to needle her soft spots until she burst. The old blisters from the friction of rubbing each other the wrong way when they’d first met had never healed. They’d competed over Henry and his love and many times the Mayor had been the worse off for it. This past year had been torture for her, being without the one person who loved her, and she still hadn’t had the chance to see her son and hold him. 

 

But she could not bring herself to regret what she’d done. It had ensured that Henry would be safe and that his birth mother would never find out the secret in her heart. Now it seemed like the secret could burst out of her chest at any moment.

 

“Is he happy?” Regina asked seemingly out of the blue.

 

“Who, Henry?” said Emma. “Yeah, I think so. He likes New York, especially the pizza. I take him to the museums and stuff when I can afford it. He goes to a pretty good school now and he’s doing really well, don’t know where he gets it from. Not me, that’s for sure. He’s a great kid.”

 

Well, that was one of her fears allayed. Apparently Emma had grown into a responsible adult during the last year. Her son still had the unfortunate liking for too much pizza, but at least his grades had not suffered. 

 

Regina smiled wistfully. “So he has a good life there. It’s a big city, he must have lots of friends to go places with.”

 

“Well, not really. We move around a lot so it’s kinda hard. Actually, we had a fight the same morning we got transported to this place by a magic jellybean.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Yeah, the kid blames me and my itinerant lifestyle for why he doesn’t get to make friends. And he’s always going on about wanting a big family, which obviously I can’t do much about, being an orphan and all.” 

 

Regina remembered Henry saying something exactly like that to her once too. He blamed her for his not having any friends because no-one liked their family. As soon as he found out he was adopted he immediately decided there was a big secret family out there waiting for him. The former Mayor decided against revealing that she too had been anxious about not being able to give their son the extended family he dreamed of. Sharing that connection -- and the knowledge that Henry sometimes fought with Emma ‘the fun Mom’ Swan too -- gratified her. A tiny remnant of her old self swelled with victory at the triumph.

 

Emma shrugged. “Actually, I guess he’s got grandparents now, an aunt younger than he is, and you. You guys are a nice family. Lucky kid.”

 

“I don’t hate you,” Regina blurted out, wishing to take the words back as soon as they’d shot from her mouth.

 

Emma lit up with a smile that made her look like a puppy who’d just been adopted by a bacon shop. For the first time she resembled her baby sister rather than the other way around. It was impossible to ignore how beautiful she really was. No matter whether she was smiling like this (rare) or backchatting and rolling her eyes at the Mayor (common), Regina was transfixed by her.

 

Apparently the Saviour decided to take advantage of the admission by questioning her closer.

 

“Well, that’s a start,” said Emma. “Can I ask you something?”

 

“I suppose. Though I reserve the right not to answer.”

 

“When you were in that poisoned-cursed-deathsleep whatever… were you unconscious the whole time? You skipped the whole year and didn’t know what was going on until you woke up?”

 

A jolt shot through her and Regina’s heart began to beat faster. She looked off to the side. “Yes.” 

 

“You’re lying. Why?”

 

“I’m not lying.”

 

“You are! You said you weren’t going to answer if you didn’t want to. So why bother lying?”

 

The Queen gritted her teeth. “Drop it, Emma.”

 

“No.” said Emma, irritatingly stubborn as ever. “You cursed yourself to sleep forever because of me. I think I have a right to know what happened to you. It’s bad enough that you did it knowing that you might never wake up but to find out that you were conscious the whole time? It’s crazy. You know what? When they first told me what you did I thought you must have been in love with me to sacrifice yourself like that.” 

 

“No, I- I did it for my son,” insisted Regina in a strained voice but Emma barrelled on.

 

“Then Henry started going on about magic and soulmates and he said that you could only be woken up with a kiss from your True Love. I didn’t know if that was me, I couldn’t remember you but I kinda hoped we were that to each other. I was going to try to kiss you. But you were already awake.”

 

Emma sounded like she was accusing her of something, like she was disappointed that somebody else had already performed the Saviour’s role. Right now she sounded exactly like the old Emma. As though Regina had betrayed her by allowing someone else to save her instead of her. She had felt it too at the time, that she had been kissed by the wrong person and not by the one who  _ felt  _ like a soulmate to her.

 

“Who would you have wanted to wake you if you could’ve chosen?”

 

_ I wanted it to be you! I wanted it to be you but it wasn’t. Why wasn’t it you who woke me, Emma? You’re the only one who understands me and believes in me. When you look at me it feels like a caress on whatever’s left of my soul. _

 

But Regina couldn’t tell her any of it. This Emma didn’t know what they'd been through together so how could she understand her. She had to keep it hidden deep inside, though it was getting harder and harder to maintain the pressure which prevented her secret from escaping. 

 

Instead of confessing what she really wanted to say the Queen found herself answering one of Emma’s other questions about what had happened to her. “I didn’t think I would ever wake up. I thought I would have to spend forever there, in the room full of fires.”

 

Regina’s voice cracked when she went to speak of her nightmarish sleep, about which she hadn’t told anyone. The woods were so quiet. She wished for some noise to drown out what she was compelled to say.

 

“It’s like a nightmare that you don't wake up from. The flames are so close they lick your skin and there’s no escape. When you’re under a Sleeping Curse that’s where you go. You surmised correctly: I was conscious the whole time.”

 

Emma gaped. “That’s horrible. It’s basically suicide. Why would you do that to yourself.”

 

Regina smiled sadly. “If you had your memories … you’d know why.”

* * *

 

_ Winter village _

 

Hook threw his good arm around the fairy’s neck as though they were a pair of highschool sweethearts walking the corridors between classes. They were headed down to the village to the local watering hole where the pirate was to collect on some bets. Tink was still despondent about her falling out with Regina and Hook had been trying to take her mind off it.

 

“How about a smile, Miss Tinker?” Hook cajoled. She gave him a filthy look in return. “Bloody hell. Whatever you did to her it must’ve been bad.”

 

Tink stuck out her bottom lip. “I didn’t do anything!”

 

“Are you sure? You’ve not been tinkering with the Queen’s love life again have you.”

 

Silence.

 

“Tiiink. Come on, love, you know that’s a really bad idea.”

 

“I didn’t!” protested Tink. “Well, okay, maybe a tiny bit. But they’re perfect for each other. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed the chemistry between them.”

 

“Between who.”

 

“Between Regina and Emma, of course!”

 

“Ah. Well, I’m afraid I have to declare a conflict of interest where the lovely Emma Swan is concerned. We have quite the flirtation going on I’ll have you know and I’ll not be going down without a fight. Especially to the Evil Queen.”

 

Tink sighed heavily. “Killian, please. Will you let it go and give them a chance? They share a son and I think they can really be something good together. They have a connection. You know Emma doesn’t feel that way about you.”

 

“What I know,” said Hook, emphasizing the last word. “Is that Emma kissed  _ me _ in Neverland. I know for a fact she’s attracted to men. Devilishly handsome ones at least.”

 

“She doesn’t even remember you!”

 

“She doesn’t remember Regina either!”

 

“That's different.”

 

Hook stopped to stare her down. “Why are you taking her side in all this. Tinkering with the Queen’s lovelife was the reason you lost your wings, remember? She cost you your place with the fairies.”

 

“Fairies make wishes come true for people,” said Tink jutting out her chin. “I can do that even  without wings. I don't need them.”

 

There was a screech and a flash of brown fur. Without warning a large creature swooped down out of the trees and headed straight for them.

 

“Get down!” yelled Hook, but it was too late. “Tink, no! Get away from her, you foul beast!”

 

Tink ducked her head but it was no use. Out of the corner of her vision she saw glowing red eyes. The flying monkey’s claws grasped both her shoulders and lifted her off the ground. Within seconds she was being carried high in the air, into a sky dotted with flying monkeys and their screaming hostages.

* * *

 

_ Winter commons boundary _

 

Emma’s feet were cold even in her leather boots. Her toes had gone numb ages ago, she was chilled to the bone, and her neck and shoulders were stiff from shivering so hard. Despite having lived through several winters in US cities that got snow she wasn’t used to this. The borrowed cloak was the only thing keeping her from hypothermia.

 

She’d followed Regina outside this morning to try to make up for their fight yesterday. But Regina wasn’t easy to apologise to, not when she was glaring the whole time and letting her know exactly how in-the-wrong she’d been. She certainly hadn’t taken Emma’s reasons for interfering in her love life lightly. 

 

Somehow she found herself rambling about her life in New York and then pushing for answers about her past in Storybrooke again.

 

As a human lie-detector she knew that Regina was keeping something from her. At first her son’s adoptive mother had lied about what had happened to her before confessing, but she  was still lying about  _ why _ she’d undergone the sleeping curse. Emma didn’t know what her real motivation was, but she was determined to uncover the reason why this gorgeous, complex, infuriating woman from her past would risk an eternity of burning fire for her. She'd literally gone to hell for her.

 

Emma was dying to know whether it was done for love, and not just out of motherly love for their son. What on earth had happened between them? She had to know more about her and their past.

 

_ Even if I fall in love with her in the process…? Fuck it, who am I kidding. I’m halfway home already. I’ve never been this far gone for someone I barely know before. _

 

When the Queen stopped walking to look around Emma bounced on the spot a few times in an attempt to warm the blood in her lower body. She blew warm breath into her cupped hands to try to defrost her fingers. Nothing helped.

 

“Don’t say ‘I t-told you so’,” chattered Emma. “But it’s really…  _ really _ … cold out here. I’ve lived through brass monkey weather before but this is arctic.” 

 

“I told you so.” Her Oh-So-Predictable Majesty said. “As I recall I also told you not to come.”

 

Emma arched an eyebrow at her. “Well, I don’t usually let anyone else decide when I come. There’s no stopping me. I’d just come anyway… especially if I was, y’know, too close to hold back any longer.”

 

The Queen tsked. “Must you do that.”

 

“What?” said Emma, all innocence. “Oh you mean, bring up sex? Actually yeah, I must. I’m freezing my ass off out here. I’m trying to warm myself up.”

 

“I hope Henry hasn't picked up the same crude vocabulary over the past year as you have. If you complain again I’ll set you on fire. That’ll warm you up.”

 

It took all of her self control not to snicker. Discomforting the proper Queen was quickly becoming one of Emma’s favourite pastimes. It was too easy. It was almost like she knew exactly how to get that response out of her.

 

Regina lifted her arms and held out her hands to the forest like she was some sort of Instagram yoga star. The air around her palms began to shimmer. The air began to look like a mirage or fata morgana or some other trick of the eye. But this was much closer and much more real.

 

“Woah,” said Emma, awed at the sight. “What are you doing?”

 

“Magic,” replied Regina.

 

“Yeah, I can see that. But why?”

 

“I’m reinforcing the protection spells around the Castle. It won’t help much against powerful enemies but it should buy a little time and keep low-level riff raff out. There’s nowhere in the realm that’s perfectly safe anymore.”

 

“Except being around you.”

 

Regina lowered her hands. She turned around slowly to face Emma, her delicate brow furrowed with a question. “What do you mean.”

 

“You have magic.” Emma shrugged and tucked her thumbs into her breaches as she swayed towards her. “I’m guessing you’re a badass. Henry said you were the most powerful sorceress in all the realm.”

 

“That… is no longer true.”

 

“How come? Could the Witch defeat you.”

 

“No.” The Queen let out a humourless laugh as though it were a stupid suggestion. “She’s not as powerful as she thinks, the source of her magic is unnatural. But there is someone here who is more powerful than they know... there’s someone who may be more powerful  _ than I know _ .”

 

Emma gave her a look, both unimpressed with the cryptic clues and suspicious that Regina was holding out on her. “You know more than what you’re telling me. What don’t I know?”

 

“Dear, if I started listing everything you don’t know it would take all day.”

 

It sounded more like a gentle ribbing than a malicious insult. The Queen was teasing her, maybe even flirting with her. Was this what their relationship had been like in the past Emma didn’t remember? But it did seem familiar.

 

A sudden loud noise overhead startled them both. Regina jumped a mile in her own skin. Despite her badassery the Queen had a strong startle reflex apparently. Out of habit, Emma’s right hand flew to her hip where her weapon was normally holstered when she was on the job.

 

The commotion above intensified with loud flapping and maniacal shrieks.

 

The two women turned their heads upward to the sight of dark forms flying against the overcast sky visible above the trees. Judging by the altitude, they were smaller than jet aircraft but larger than birds. They also flew in haphazard patterns, more like a colony of bats on the wing. One thing was clear though -- they were headed directly for the Winter Castle.

 

Emma gasped. “I know what those are! They’re flying monkeys.”

 

“I’ve been wondering when they’d turn up,” said Regina, her affect darkening at the sight. “Damn those abominable creatures! How did they get through my protection spells. I wouldn’t have thought those imbecilic beasts capable.”

 

“Those things destroyed half a palace and killed my parents. We need to get back to the Castle and warn everyone to evacuate and mobilise a defence.”

 

“We’ll never make it,” the Queen said, eyes on the eastern horizon where her Castle was hidden behind trees. It was as though she were calculating how much time they had to beat the creatures to their destination. The two of them on foot, even at a run, couldn’t get there in time. 

 

The attack on the Summer Palace in which her parents died was fresh in Emma’s mind and she couldn’t bear the thought of the same thing happening to Anna. The toddler may have called them ‘cheeky widdle monkeys’ but they did not kid around.

 

Emma grabbed the Queen’s arm to wake some sense into her. “Regina! You have magic, do something!”

 

“No, I can’t risk leaving you alone-”

 

“Anna’s there alone! I need to protect my sister. It was the last promise I made to her parents.”

 

“But -”

 

Whatever Regina was going to say, she didn’t get to explain why she couldn’t magically transport the two of them to the Castle in a puff of smoke. Emma had seen the Witch use such a spell to apparate like they did in Harry Potter so she knew it was possible in this realm too. 

 

The sound of thumping hooves distracted them from arguing further. A large black horse galloped out of the woods at full speed towards them, kicking up a flurry of snow in his wake. 

 

“It’s Widowmaker! One of my Knights,” said Regina, with a satisfied nod as though she’d known all along that he would turn up.

 

It was like the horse knew his services were needed and had followed their tracks into the woods, appearing just in time. At the last second he skidded to a stop at his mistress’s side. His quick breath clouded the air from his nostrils. Emma thought it him look like some kind of demon-horse from hell.

 

Speechless, Emma watched Regina tear the skirt of her dress from hip to hem, revealing a pair of black skin-tight leather pants and boots underneath. In a single display of elegance and grace, the Queen launched herself into the saddle. The Royal got the impatient horse to stand mostly still and then leaned down to offer Emma a hand-up. “Give me your hand.”

 

It was just about the hottest thing she’d ever seen a woman do.

 

Even if Emma could have managed to pull herself up to the beast’s enormous height she had no idea whether it would just throw her back off again. Having never ridden one before she wasn’t sure where this sudden fear of falling off a horse came from.

 

Emma hesitated. “Uh, I don’t think I-”

 

“Emma Swan!” Regina shouted. “How many times have I ridden in that yellow deathtrap of yours despite the fear of imminent death. You will get on this horse  _ now. _ ”

 

It was obviously safer to obey. As soon as Emma placed her hand in Regina’s a lot of confusing things happened at once -- her hand began to glow and she felt a surge like electricity running in her veins. Then she was both pulled up and launched by some force from under her feet into the air and finally came to be seated astride the horse before she could figure out how it’d happened.

 

Emma’s face went hot as she realised how intimately the front of her body was pressed flush against the Queen’s back where her skirt was bunched up. It would only get worse with motion. The feel, the scent, and the warmth of Regina’s closeness flooded all of her senses. She nearly groaned aloud, cursing herself for reacting like that at such a time.  

 

“Hold tight,” Regina instructed, and when Emma wrapped her arms loosely around the Queen’s waist, she added. “Tighter.”

 

Now Emma was practically hugging her and she’d almost forgotten her apprehension at the unsteady, uncertain way being atop the horse felt. The last thing the Queen murmured, turning her face to the side, was: “Trust me. I won’t let you fall.”

  
  



	15. Summon a gun

 

_ Winter commons _

 

Emma was white as a sheet by the time they arrived. 

 

Riding Widowmaker back towards the Winter Castle and its surrounding village had taken mere minutes but Emma looked like she’d lived through several lifetimes waiting for it to be over. Regina had noticed the way the other woman clung tight to her waist throughout the journey and she was surprised to discover that the great badass Saviour was in possession of so mundane a fear as horses.

 

The Queen remembered seeing the same blanched look on a young Snow White’s face after her own encounter with a runaway steed. Unlike her daughter, however, Snow had gotten over it because of her future stepmother’s insistence that she continue learning to ride.

 

As they approached the scene of trouble Regina hardly had to command the stallion to stop he was so well in tune with her. The Queen alighted gracefully and then held up both hands to help her passenger down from the fidgety horse. As Emma slid down, Regina caught her by the waist and pulled her closer so as to ascertain whether the Saviour really was as scared as she seemed. Regina cupped her pale cheek and peered into her skittish eyes. 

 

“Emma?” said Regina, stroking her soft skin with her thumb. “Are you ok?”

 

Emma nodded unconvincingly. “Yeah.”

 

“Breathe, dear. It’ll pass. You’ve two feet planted safely on the ground now.”

 

“I’m not so sure about the safe part. Look up there. What the hell?”

 

Regina followed where Emma was pointing towards the sky. Flying monkeys were circling around with the human hostages they’d scooped up from the village amid a sky darkened by a message written in black smoke. There were no aeroplanes in this world for skywriting so it must’ve been done through some sort of magic.

 

The smoke looked like black ink had been drawn across a watery sky with a needle, bleeding into the surrounding grey clouds above the Castle turrets. The message read: 

 

“ **SURRENDER HER OR DIE -- WWW** ”

 

The Queen rolled her eyes. “A death threat. How original.”

 

“WWW?” asked Emma. 

 

“It’s the Wicked Witch of the West. Or someone advertising a website who got bored halfway through.” 

 

“Who is she after now. Is it my sister, Anna?”

 

“No, but you should go to her where it’s safe.”

 

“What!” Emma protested. “No, I can’t leave you here alone to deal with this. I’m fine now that I’m off that damn hell-horse. You may have magic but it’s still dangerous. I can help.”

 

“I can’t fight them if I’m distracted by you nearly getting yourself killed.”

 

“Then don’t get distracted.”

 

“Emma-”

 

“No. I’m not going.”

 

The Queen wanted to yell with frustration at her. She yanked the hood of the cape over Emma’s trademark blonde curls to cover them up. “Fine! Keep your head down so those fleabitten fiends don’t see you. You’re too recognisable.”

 

The screaming intensified as the flying monkeys began to drop their hostages from the sky. It was unclear whether they were under orders to do it or whether they were acting out of their own crazy malevolence. The screams from those who were falling and those who were on the ground watching were sickening. At that height, a fallen victim would be unlikely to survive -- not without grievous injuries at least.

 

Regina began conjuring fireballs and blasting them at the monkeys whenever they flew close enough. After several had gotten flamed, they screeched and abandoned their flight paths towards more kidnap victims and disappeared into the sky. Soon the threat of the flying monkeys became nothing but dots in the distance… almost.

 

One particular monkey was left and it was carrying a tiny blonde woman squealing at the top of her lungs to be let go.

 

_ “Help meeeeee! Somebody please help me!” _

 

Regina gasped, recognising who the monkey had in its vicious grip. “It’s Tink!”

 

“But she’s a fairy,” Emma pointed out. “If they drop her she can fly away can’t she?”

 

“No, she can’t! Tink doesn’t have wings anymore.”

 

“Then we have a problem.”

 

Regina swore. “Damn that vertiginous Witch! I’m going to destroy her for this.”

 

“I have an idea. Cover me.”

 

“Emma, no!” cried Regina, realising what the Saviour was about to do. But there was no stopping the stubborn woman from her own stupidity. She’d seen similar ideas from her way too many times to believe that this one would turn out well. The fireball waiting in her hand would be useless while ever Tink -- or Emma -- was too close to the fiendish ape.

 

Emma raced forward and waved her arms above her head. The hood of her cape fell back on her shoulders, revealing her signature princess curls. “Hey, monkey brains, over here!”

 

The last flying monkey screeched in the air, its red eyes locked on target. It immediately changed direction and launched into a divebomb heading straight for her.

* * *

 

_ Queen’s  chambers _

 

Maisy knocked on the door as a courtesy though she knew her mistress to be out of the Castle altogether. While she waited she hiked the grumpy toddler up higher on her hip. As a newly hired seamstress it wasn't strictly her job to look after the young girl but Nanny was at her wit's end dealing with tantrums and had begged her for a reprieve.

 

“Want pig!” said Anna in her typical two-year-old demanding way. “Where my pig, Maisee?”

 

“Ooh don't you worry, little Highness. We shall search the entire kingdom for your esteemed Royal Piggy. No stone shall be left unturned. Else you’ll never go down for your nap and Nanny might quit us!”

 

Secretly Maisy thought that the beloved comfort object was a two-edged sword. Anna loved her favourite toy… but she had an unfortunate habit of leaving it in odd places and she would scream bloody murder until it was found.

 

“My mother used to advise to retrace your steps whenever you'd lost something. I never used to believe it but it works. So let's have a look in all the places you've been today, Princess.”

 

“Me?” said Anna.

 

“Yes, you.” Maisy teased, nuzzling the baby’s ear with kissy noises. Anna let out a high pitched squeal.

 

“Starting with Her Majesty’s rooms, as I know you've been in here this morning for cuddles.”

 

Maisy figured she'd waited long enough so she pushed the door open and entered the grand staterooms. The head maid had not yet been in to tidy, judging by the unmade bed and breakfast tray. There was also a discarded nightgown that did  _ not _ bear Her Majesty’s initials lying on the floor.

 

Not many desired or dared to spread malicious gossip about the Queen’s inner life but there had been an increase in whispers lately among the Castle staff. There were rumours of a fiance and a son … and it wasn't exactly a secret that there was a blonde woman who'd been sleeping in the Queen’s bed every night since her arrival. Nobody knew the truth about Her Majesty’s personal relationships but they certainly speculated about them.

 

Maisy tried to ignore the more salacious rumours. In her mind, the only business it was of hers was pleasure that her mistress was happy. A happy Queen made for a happy Kingdom. She tried to pretend that the details of that happiness did not matter to her personally, but she could not help an extra flutter of joy inside at the idea that the Queen herself might have chosen a woman to spend her intimate life with.

 

“Look, Princess Anna!” Maisy pointed. “Do you see what's over there?”

 

“Piggy!” Anna wiggled with excitement, barely restrained in the woman's arms.

 

Maisy went over to the far side of the bed where the purple plush pig was laying discarded. The little girl must've put it down earlier and forgotten it. She picked up the toy and handed it to Anna who swiftly tucked its girth under her arm for safekeeping.

 

“There now. I have a feeling Nanny owes me a drink. What do you think, little one?”

 

“Trink!” Anna echoed. “Time for juice?”

 

“What do we say?” Maisy prompted.

 

“T’ank youuuu!”

 

“Good girl.” Maisy’s chuckle faded suddenly. 

 

_ “Regina! Regina, are you there?” _ An unknown woman’s voice begged for a reply.

 

She whirled around and out of the corner of her eye caught sight of a woman’s face in the circular mirror hung on the wall. There was a pause and then the image faded, returning the mirror to its usual reflective glass showing the room’s interior only.

 

Maisy did not recognised the face or the voice but someone else had. Anna lurched her tiny body towards the mirror with arms outstretched, nearly swan-diving out of the servant's arms.

 

“Mommieeee! Mommieeeeee!...” Anna cried out for her mother at the volume of a scream that would've been heard throughout the Castle.

* * *

 

_ Winter commons _

 

Somewhere in her mind Emma knew it was a stupid thing to do. But before she could think better of it she’d already put herself in harm’s way. Having watched the monkey’s victims fall to their deaths she couldn’t stand to let that thing harm anyone else.

 

The flying monkey barrelled towards her in a steep dive towards the ground, snarling and screeching through the air. As soon as the Saviour had flipped off her hood the fiend must have realised she was a much better target than the fairy. Perhaps kidnapping the villagers was just a ruse to draw them out. Was Emma the “her” that the Witch wanted Regina to surrender?

 

The awful primate must’ve realised it could not capture another victim without releasing the human currently in its grip. The beast dropped Tink, who tumbled to the ground and rolled in a cloud of dust.

 

_ “Emmaaaa!”  _ In the rush of adrenaline the Saviour was barely aware of Regina screaming her name. 

 

Power seemed to surge through her very veins and bolstered her willingness to fight back. It was much better than being scared of something so lame as riding a horse. She wasn’t aware of any fear right now despite being in much more peril. Something about this seemed familiar, like something she could deal with.

 

Emma, steadfast to the spot, stared down the beast baring its sharp teeth at her. The now-empty claws of its feet spread wide, ready to clutch her by the shoulders and soar off into the grey sky with her. She had to stop it quickly.

 

_ I need my gun. _

 

As a bailbondsperson Emma had been in dangerous situations before. Hunting criminals who sought to escape the law often put her in the line of fire. But she rarely felt in danger for her life, trusting her own ability to handle it with her fists, her street-smarts, or her gun. In this world of magic and imaginary creatures she was off-kilter and unprotected. If she didn’t end this now, the beasts would come back … for Regina.

 

_ I need my gun. _

 

Operating purely on instinct, Emma reached for her right hip where her weapon was usually holstered… and miraculously it was there! There was no time to contemplate how or why.

 

In the space of two pounding heartbeats Emma raised her gun, took aim at point-blank range, and fired. 

 

_ CRACK! _

 

Her single shot hit the beast right between the eyes. Its head recoiled, it was killed instantly, but the impetus of its impending flight sent the winged monkey crashing into her with the force of a speeding truck.

 

 

* * *

 

_ Queen’s chambers _

 

Commander Beretta and her first Lieutenant strode a solid march down the family rooms corridors towards the Queen’s chambers. The ever-present hallway guard had sent for them urgently. The reason for the summons was not clear, the message somewhat garbled. Something to do with the Queen no doubt. When they got close she realised that Princess Anna’s wails were coming from inside and it raised her alarm.

 

Beretta rounded the doorway and came upon the hallway guard and two middle-aged heavyset women dressed like servants, one of whom was holding the young Princess in her arms and was presumably the baby’s nanny. Princess Anna sounded exhausted from crying as she was rocked from side to side. “Mommieee... Daddeeee...”

 

“What is going on here,” said the Commander with a frown. “Is Her Highness hurt?”

 

“No, ma’am,” said the other servant woman, clasping her hands nervously. She turned to the nanny, handed a purple plush object to her and said, “Perhaps you should go, Nan?” 

 

Nanny nodded. “Yes, the little one and I will go take a nice walk arounds til she falls asleep. I’ll meet you at h--?”

 

“Later. Yes.” The other woman smiled and then quickly hid it.

 

A moment passed where Commander Beretta felt there was something going on but wasn’t quite sure what it was. The nanny left with the baby. The Elite Royal Guard hoped not to have been summoned for something unimportant, she was too on edge from uselessly waiting around for official orders with nothing to focus on. She was at heart a woman of action.

 

“Who are you. Why am I summoned here?” Beretta asked the servant woman first and then the guard. Regrettably she must’ve allowed impatience into her tone.

 

“I’m Maisy, ma’am,” said the servant woman, eyes downcast. “Beg pardon for disturbing your duties. You must be very busy.”

 

Beretta wanted to scowl but knew it would be unfair to show it, since it was not this Maisy’s fault that Commander Bishop was out there leading a mission and she wasn’t. “Never mind that, what is it, Maisy?”

 

“Do you know, ma’am, whether Her Majesty’s mirror is magicked?” 

 

Beretta froze. She felt her Lieutenant’s eyes snap to her for a second. Not many knew that that was how the Queen communicated with her soldiers. “Why would you ask that.”

 

“I heard a voice just now. Then I saw a woman in the mirror asking for Her Majesty. I was so shocked I thought I might have imagined it at first but then the little one started crying. She heard it too.”

 

“Who was it. Did you recognise this woman?”

 

“No, ma’am. But she was ever so fair and fine a’ lady.”

 

“Do you-” The Commander stopped herself from giving anything classified away, instead she asked. “What made you think you should bring this information to me?”

 

Maisy gulped visibly. “Her Majesty is away, ma’am, I- I thought someone should know. The woman … she was in a right distress. I figure her for in trouble.”

 

“And? There’s something else isn’t there.”

 

“Yes, ma’am. I know it is not my place to speculate-”

 

“Spit it out,” smiled Beretta.

 

“I- I think it were Snow White!” Maisy blurted out. “I wouldn’t know her face, I’ve not looked upon the Summer Kingdom Royals in my life. But I think the little one recognised it. I think she knew it was her mother and cried for her. Poor little thing misses her dearly.” 

 

That settled it for Beretta. Most others would not put stock in the testimony of a servant and a toddler but she wasn’t one to ignore strange coincidences. A baby knew her mother’s face and voice better than anything else in the world. If it was true it meant that Snow White had survived the attack on the Summer Palace and might still be in danger. Her Majesty had sent the First Elites, including her own son, on a rescue mission to find the missing Royals but they had not been heard from recently.

 

The Queen must need this information at once.

 

“Get a message to the Queen,” Beretta barked at the hallway guard who scampered away nearly tripping over his own feet. “The moment Her Majesty returns! Maisy, you will tell the Queen every word of what you told me.”

 

To her Lieutenant, Beretta said in a lower voice. “Send word to the Seconds. We leave at once.”

 

Lieutenant nodded. “The Seconds are ready for the Queen’s orders upon Her Majesty’s return, Commander.”

 

“No. We’re leaving  _ now _ .”

 

Beretta saw her Lieutenant hesitate to contradict a superior officer’s orders and she understood why. The Commander was planning to deploy the Second Elites to the Summer Kingdom to search for the Royals and join the First Elites  _ without _ waiting for the Queen to return and give the order herself. 

 

It was a suicidal move to circumvent the Queen. The blood oath she’d sworn to obey would ensure her death. But Beretta was done waiting. The Queen’s son was missing. The Royals were in danger. The Firsts weren’t in contact with them… and Commander Bishop might be laying slain by the Witch somewhere. That image alone of the strongest warrior she’d ever known propelled her into action. There was no more time.

 

Commander Beretta of the Second Elites squared her shoulders. What she was about to do might very well get her killed dishonorably and she cared not for that consequence.

 

 

* * *

 

_ Winter commons _

 

“EMMA! Emma! Answer me!” Regina’s throat was worn out from yelling at the idiot woman who had just recklessly risked her life. Watching one of the Witch’s flying monkeys collide with her son’s mother was a moment of terror she hoped never to experience again. She was seconds away from heartbreak and a loss from which she feared no recovery would be possible.

 

It was clear that the beast was dead. A small trickle of blood seeped from bullet hole in the center of its forehead and it lay motionless, its crumpled form covering the woman who killed it like a broken marionette.

 

_ How on Earth had Emma managed to kill it?!  _ The question burned the Queen’s mind but she was focused on determining whether the woman she loved had survived.

 

Regina grabbed the heavy beast by the wing and pulled it off of Emma, praying that the thing hadn’t managed to do any injury to her. Her heart was beating wildly off the charts, waiting to see whether she was to lose another True Love and be sunk into a decade of deep despair yet again.

 

Emma coughed. 

 

The breath of life rushed back into the Queen’s lungs too. Regina sank to her knees beside the other woman’s supine form, peering into her face for more signs of life. She grabbed Emma’s hand with one of hers; the other cupped Emma’s face. Her heart beat strongly still, but for a different reason now.

 

“Nailed it,” Emma coughed again. The corner of her mouth curved into a smirk.

 

Regina sighed roughly. “You idiot,” she gritted her teeth. “You could have been killed and you’re making stupid jokes. Why did you do that?!”

 

“Couldn’t let it hurt anyone… you.”

 

“Are you hurt anywhere?” said Regina, concerned eyes scanning over the Saviour’s body. It hadn’t been long since her last round of injuries and her stab wounds were still healing.

 

“No... yeah, ‘m sore… ‘n the ground’s cold.”

 

Emma reached out her arms, looking for all the world like her little sister seeking comfort, and Regina immediately gathered her into a hug. The relief of it felt like all was right in the world for as long as the moment lasted. Regina felt the weight of her own love wash over her. She desperately wanted to hold on to Emma for as long as possible, for forever…

 

“I’m so glad you’re ok,” said Emma, chin resting in the crook of Regina’s shoulder.

 

Regina tightened her arms around her. “No, Emma,  _ you _ . You are the one who has to be ok, no matter what. You need to take care of Henry for me.”

 

“What if we need you too? I don’t want to do this alone anymore.”

 

“You’ll be fine, dear. I will ensure it.”

 

It was clearly not the answer Emma wanted, but it was all Regina could give her right now. Promising anything more would be giving her false hopes and the Queen did not have that cruelty in her anymore.

 

They separated from the warm embrace softly. An awkward silence followed, as though they both knew how intimately entwined their lives were yet both were afraid to speak its name as though confession would cause it to disappear. But it was real and it was growing in strength on both sides.

 

“Where did you get it?” said Regina, finally remembering the most important question. She’d looked around the ground to see where the weapon had fallen but it was nowhere to be found.

 

Emma shrugged. “I was hoping you’d be able to tell me. When I saw it was mine I thought you must’ve magicked it for me.”

 

“I didn’t. Wait a minute -- you said it was  _ your _ gun? You magically summoned your own specific gun from New York?”

 

“Er… I guess so. You mean… I really did it? I have magic?” Emma held her palms face up and looked into them as though some answers might appear there. But there were none, there were no visible signs of her magical powers. Her hands were as normal as ever -- pinkish under the dirt, slightly calloused on some fingers, and short trimmed nails. 

 

“Emma,  _ think _ . How did you do it specifically? I need to know.”

 

“I have no idea how! Just when I thought things couldn’t get anymore insane and weird here. I have  _ MAGIC? _ ! I can’t believe this is happening. You knew about it didn’t you and you didn't tell me.” 

 

“Yes, I knew. You have magic that was dormant until you broke the Dark Curse back home in Storybrooke. But what you just did… that was no ordinary magic. It takes a while to learn, but it’s a fairly basic skill to summon a generic object magically from somewhere else. But the ability to summon a specific possession all the way from another realm... It’s unheard of.”

 

“I... I don’t know. I didn’t think, I just reacted. In that split second I knew I what I needed to save you.”

 

_ Of course you did, Saviour. _ Regina smiled teasingly in spite of herself. “I suppose I should thank you but what you did back there was recklessly idiotic, in fact, it was entirely characteristic of you, Miss Swan. I refuse to encourage such behaviour.”

 

Emma laughed and replied in kind. “You already did. If that’s what a girl’s gotta do to get a hug from the Queen.”

 

At that Regina could've sworn Emma noticed her blushing and it was worth all the gold in the realm.

 

* * *

 

_ Winter Castle _

 

Tinkerbell was the only living casualty of the latest flying monkey attack. The fairy was rushed back to her room in the Castle on a wooden litter to where Doc and the other Healers were ready to treat her. Thankfully her injuries were not as severe as they could have been because her captor had been flying low to the ground by the time it let go of her.

 

The Queen, however, was practically beside herself with worry about her friend. She marched beside the litter holding Tink’s hand as Emma trotting behind them trying to keep up. She questioned every single thing the Healers did in her efforts to make sure Tink was being properly cared for. She had refused to leave even to respond to urgent calls from the guards for her attention.

 

Nobody was prepared to tell the former Evil Queen to leave.

 

At last Doc pronounced his patient sufficiently checked and in need of rest. He left with the others, mumbling something about ‘no visitors yet’ but not daring to voice such to the Queen and risk engaging her famed wrath.

 

Tink rolled her head towards Regina, who was standing beside the bed, and smiled weakly. “Thanks for saving me.”

 

“I didn’t,” said Regina, sounding almost bitter. “It was Emma.”

 

“You two make a good team.”

 

The Queen sighed, scoffed, and paced a few slow steps until coming to a stop and shaking her head at herself. Something was obviously still bothering her and the fairy could tell she needed to spill. They hadn’t spoken since their earlier tiff but Tink always knew when Regina was bottling something up.

 

“What’s wrong?” asked Tink.

 

“With me? Nothing. You were hurt, Tink, and it could’ve been worse. Those filthy unnatural beasts wouldn’t have targeted you if you weren’t my fri- … if you weren’t connected to me. You’re a fairy who fell from the sky, but you wouldn’t have been harmed at all if you’d never had your wings taken from you in the first place, which was also because of  _ me _ .”

 

Tink smiled weakly and reached out to pat Regina’s arm. “It’s not your fault. Then or now.”

 

“I’m sorry. For everything.”

 

“Not everythin’.”

 

Regina’s brow furrowed. “What?”

 

“I hope you’re not sorry for being my friend. I wouldn’t change that. Not even for my wings.”

 

For someone who’d never had a genuine friendship before it was disconcerting for Regina to be forgiven so freely and easily. They’d only had a small disagreement, a moment of frustration at each other’s differences of opinion, but the Queen still thought like the sheltered young girl who’d had no experience of friends her own age before and was insecure in her mother’s love. She’d assumed that her snarky remark would have been enough to lose Tink’s friendship completely. 

 

“It’s just this thing with Emma!” Regina blurted out eventually. “I’m so-…and she’s-... Yesterday we had a fight but today we’re embracing. It’s confusing. But I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. All you’ve ever done is try to help me and there was truth to what you said. I do sabotage myself. I’m not as ungrateful as I seem.”

 

“It’s alright. Love makes us all silly.”

 

“I am  _ never _ silly.”

 

Tink’s mouth formed a perfect O shape. “Oh, so you have decided to tell Emma about your feelings for her then?”

 

Regina started to shake her head but changed her mind. It was an unconscious habit when she was nervous to wring her hands together, as though reassuring herself of the frictionous feel of her magic. “I’m not sure whether I’m ready. What if she doesn’t-”

 

“Regina. Stop.” Tink half sat up and gave her a look. “What if she  _ does _ ? That’s all you should think about.”

 

* * *

 

_ Queen’s chambers _

 

After her heart-to-heart chat with Tinkerbell, the Queen was feeling rather buoyed with new appreciation that there was a chance things might be changing for her. She had a friend, one who was certain that the woman she loved returned her feelings. It helped… but not enough to quell her doubts that something would soon appear to dash her chances at happiness. Everything depended on figuring out how to get Emma’s memories back. Without them, Emma would never fully understand… 

 

Not to mention Regina still had to find out where the hell their son was and how to defeat the Witch. Both of these seemed easier tasks than risking rejection by offering her heart to her former enemy’s daughter though.

 

As the Queen entered her chambers she found an unusual number of people inside (that is, more than none).

 

“Regina, hey!” Emma smiled for a second before turning to business. “You’re back. Did you know everyone’s been frantically looking for you.”

 

“They have?” said Regina, eyeing Maisy the servant who was just about jumping out of her own skin with impatience like she had something important to say.

 

“Your Majesty, forgive me!” said Maisy, sputtering at her own nerve of speaking up. “I must tell you!”

 

“Of course. Speak.”

 

“I saw someone in your mirror this morning while Your Majesty was away. A woman was calling for you by name.”

 

Regina scowled, expecting another death threat from the Witch. “Did she have a green face and pointy black hat by any chance?”

 

“Not at all, she was very fair -- like fresh fallen snow. I sent for your Commander Beretta and we both agreed, we thought it might be-”

 

Emma interrupted. “Wait --  _ snow _ ? You think it’s my mo-... I mean, do you think it was Anna’s mother, Snow White, talking in the, uh, magic mirror?”

 

Regina shot a wary glance at Emma’s face and her heart almost broke at the hope that shone there. If this was a false hope, a mistake of identity resulting in Emma losing her mother yet again, the Saviour would be crushed. The Queen was more guarded but a part of her knew that her former nemesis was extraordinarily good at surviving. She would wait for confirmation before letting herself hope for it though.

 

“Send for Commander Beretta,” Regina instructed Maisy. “I need to speak to her immediately.”

 

Maisy choked and looked like she would cry. “B-Beretta? You can’t.”

 

“Excuse me, I can and will speak to my Commander. Where is she now?”

 

“It’s not my place to say, Your Majesty.”

 

Regina sighed. “Maisy, if you know I order you to tell me. I promise you are not in trouble with me. Commander Beretta however...” she said this last part under her breath.

 

“She’s g-gone,” whispered the servant woman. “The Second Elites are gone.”

 

_ “WHAT?! _ ”

 

Clearly shocked by the outburst, Emma held up her hands. “Woah, Regina! That’s your scary face. Cool your jets and let her explain. Maisy? Go on.”

 

Maisy continued, less terrified only because of the Queen’s calm companion. “I wasn’t the only one who saw the mirror. Her Royal Highness the Princess Anna was with me. She started crying for her mother as soon as we heard the voice. That’s why the Commander was certain enough to go without orders. They left for the Summer Palace, to recover the mission to rescue the Royals and find the missing First Elites.”

 

“That makes sense,” said Emma.

 

Regina whirled around and let her hands slap to her sides. “No. It does  _ not _ make sense, Em-ma!”

 

Sensing the tension rise and that she was no longer needed, Maisy gratefully scurried away and left them to it. A good servant knew when they were dismissed without being told.

 

Once they were alone, Emma shot Regina a Look. “Try not to bite my head off. What’s the problem.”

 

“Both of my Elite strike teams have been deployed to the same place, a place that is not  _ here _ where the two people I’m trying to protect are currently located. You don’t see the problem with that?”

 

“You mean Anna and me? We’ll be fine. You’re here to protect us.”

 

“No,” Regina growled. “You don’t get it. You don’t get how special the two of you are. The daughters of Snow White and Prince Charming, products of True Love. You’re princesses!”

 

“And you’re a Queen, so what.”

 

“The Witch is looking for a lost princess! She doesn’t know who she’s looking for and for all we know she thinks it’s you or your sister. You’re both in danger until I defeat her.”

 

“I can take care of myself. Neither of us is going to let anything happen to Anna. If there’s a chance that Snow White survived then I’m glad someone has gone to try to find her and Prince Charming. Anna deserves to grow up with her parents. Not like me, an orphan with no-one.”

 

Emma said the last part with her heart in her face. She was right. The risk was worth it. In fact, the Queen might’ve been reluctant to give those orders and sometimes being overly conservative lost you the game anyway. Regina, however, was not inclined towards optimism in general.

 

“Fine.” Regina sighed, her anger ebbed away. “In any case, the Seconds could be halfway there by now so there's no point ordering them back.”

 

“Hey, can we use that mirror thing to talk to Henry?” asked Emma, brightening with the idea.

 

“Not unless he has a mirror too,” said Regina, hating to have to say no and disappoint them both. “Out of the Firsts, Commander Bishop had the only one and he’s not been in contact. The Blue Fairy in her infinite wisdom blocked the Witch from scrying for your family’s location but in doing so she made it so that I can’t locate anyone either. Not without a direct line of contact at least.”

 

“Can we try. Just in case?”

 

As soon as the two women crossed the large bedroom they saw the second strangest thing anyone had seen in the mirror that day. There were large block letters scrawled across the glass, reading backwards as though written by someone on the other side.

 

_!REHTOMPETS ,EM REWSNA _

 

“Is that like leaving a voicemail,” Emma asked as a joke. “Answer me, ‘Stepmother’? Who the hell calls you that.”

 

The hated epithet rankled as it always did but in this case it served a greater purpose. Regina knew exactly who had left  _ that _ message, provoking her to respond. Her lips curled into a wry smile.

 

“Your mother is alive.”

 

 

 

 

 


	16. Rank and file

 

“Your mother is alive.”

 

“Who-” Emma started in surprise at Regina’s proclamation. “Oh, Anna’s mother is alive? Are you sure. How do you know.”

 

Instead of answering, Regina swiped her arm through the air casting some sort of magic. The scrawl and their reflections in the mirror disappeared and a woodsy scene faded into view. In complete contrast to the outside of their own location, the mirror showed a sunny day and healthy green forest. There were no people in view. It looked like someone had set down a handheld mirror compact on a log.

 

“This mirror thing is like Skype right,” said Emma. “But there’s no-one there. Why?”

 

“Miss Blanchard!” Regina called the name into the empty forest a few times. “Where the hell are you. I refuse to play phone tag with you, answer me!”

 

“I thought we were calling Snow White. Who’s Miss Blanchard? ”

 

“That’s your mother’s name in the real world. Mary Margaret Blanchard.”

 

Emma wasn’t sure what to make of that. She remembered them telling her that the fairytale characters had spent 28 years in the real world -- her world -- but the very idea of it was strange. Mary Margaret? It sounded like the name you’d give to someone destined to become a nun. She still could not picture any of them fitting into a life like hers: no magic, no costumes, no Royal titles, just a normal life with a boring job and bills to pay.

 

The sound of someone running through the underbrush came through the mirror. 

 

_ “I’m here! I’m here! Don’t hang up,” _ said a female voice.

 

“Do take your time, Miss Blanchard,” said the Queen drolly. “It’s only me and your eldest daughter here waiting to see whether you’re dead or alive.”

 

The serene smiling face of Snow White finally appeared, beautiful and dirt-smudged but most definitely alive and unharmed. She was wearing the same clothes Emma had last seen her in, but they were dirty and she’d tied back her long black hair with a scrap of cloth.

 

“Emma! Regina!” said Snow excitedly. “You’re safe. Oh my goodness it's good to see you, are you all ok? Where’s my baby, Anna. Is she there, how is she.”

 

“Your daughters are both safe,” said Regina, skipping over plenty of details. “So, you’re alive then?”

 

“Ha, I know you’re thrilled by the news. David’s fine too. We evacuated everyone to the bunkers before the battlements fell.”

 

“I’ll send for Anna.” Regina left her chambers briefly to instruct the hall guard to have the baby Princess brought up from the nursery so that she could see her mother.

 

Emma was left alone in front of the magic mirror to talk to the woman who had apparently given birth to her. She couldn’t stop staring at her and felt shame suffuse her face. She’d been beating herself up for days about leaving them to die in the palace attack. Ever since then she’d focused on the fact that poor little Anna was an orphan, but now that they were alive she had to sort out how she felt about no longer being one herself. It was a relief that they’d survived but the concept of having parents just wouldn’t sink in. She’d been a complete shit to them, acting like a jealous brat when they’d met. What would they think of her now?

 

“Emma, honey, are you ok?” said Snow’s voice of concern.  

 

“Yeah,” she croaked and nodded too fast. “I’m - really glad you’re safe.”

 

“It’s so good to see you. I’ve been worried out of my mind for both of my girls but I knew you’d take care of your little sister and get to safety.”

 

“She made it. I nearly didn’t.” Emma felt tears prick her eyes and was mortified.

 

“But you  _ did _ make it to Regina’s castle. I’m so proud of you! You’ve been so brave, taking all of this in. It must be strange being here in this realm for the first time. How’s things with Regina?”

 

Something about the way Snow asked made Emma suspicious that the woman knew exactly what her feelings were for her son’s adoptive mother. The last time Emma had been with her parents she had gone off the deep end at the suggestion that Regina might marry some guy she just met. She’d also accidentally come out to her. Snow had obviously put two and two together and come up with a lesbian romance between her daughter and the Queen.

 

“She’s not going to marry him,” Emma blurted out, instantly wondering why she’d gone with that. “Uh, Robin Hood, I mean. She didn’t seem too into him but I don’t know. He’s gone now.”

 

“What about you and her. How are you getting along together?”

 

“Regina’s taking care of us ... you know, uh, she’s really great with children. Anna loves her.”

 

Emma knew she was being evasive but she wasn’t sure yet about confiding in anyone about her growing feelings and attraction to Regina. She wasn’t sure how much of it she’d admitted even to herself.

 

“Yes,” said Snow with a twinkle in her eye. “It does seem that the Queen has a soft spot for my offspring.”

 

_ “Mary Margaret, are you ok? I heard voices.”  _ A male voice said off-mirror in the woods.

 

“David, quick!” said Snow, turning and waving him over. “Come talk to Emma.”

 

A second person appeared in the mirror, easily recognisable as the handsome Prince Charming who was apparently also known as David or James for some reason. Like his wife he also appeared somewhat dirty and disheveled from living in the outdoors. A smile overtook his entire face at seeing his eldest daughter.

 

“Emma! How are you?” said the Prince, elated. “We’ve missed you and your sister so much. Your mother has been unbearable not knowing what’s been happening with you all.”

 

Snow backhanded the Prince in the chest and he playfully pretended to be hurt.

 

“Well, there’s um,” Emma faltered for how to explain everything of the last few days. “There’s a lot’s been happening here.”

 

She was saved from having to explain by Regina returning with a squirming toddler with a riot of messy blonde curls in her arms. As soon as they were within view of the mirror, little Anna began reaching out for Mommy and Daddy in her excitement at seeing their faces for the first time in days. Snow and the Prince both lit up at the sight of her and said sweet things to the baby.

 

“Mommy! Daddy!” Anna giggled happily. She reached a bit too far and nearly overbalanced out of Regina’s arms.

 

“Oof, no swan dives, sweetie!” Snow cringed but couldn’t help smiling. David wrapped his arm around his wife as they beamed at their child.

 

Regina let them have a few more moments before bringing up business. “I sent a rescue team for you. You haven’t seen them?”

 

“Actually we have,” said David. “They’re here too. All of us who escaped have been hiding out in the woods or nearby villages. Your Elites have been a great help with supplies and first aid.”

 

“That’s how you have their magic mirror,” murmured Regina. “Where is Commander Bishop? I need to speak to him urgently. Why hasn’t he contacted me before now.”

 

Snow and the Prince exchanged serious looks. 

 

“He was found this morning,” said David. “Gravely injured, almost unrecognisable. One of the other Elites identified him as their Commander. It looks to have been some sort of savage animal attack but nothing like I’ve ever seen.”

 

“The Witch,” Regina growled. “She sicced one of her unnatural creations onto him.”

 

Snow looked distressed. “We’re not sure if he’ll live.”

 

The Queen nodded, acknowledging the bad news. “The Second Elites are on their way. Commander Beretta has medical training, she may be able to do something for him.”

 

“Can we see Henry?” Emma blurted out, unable to wait any longer.

 

Snow’s delicate brow furrowed. “Henry’s not here. Isn’t he with you at the castle?”

 

Emma turned to Regina, thoroughly confused. “I thought you said Henry joined the rescue mission.”

 

The Queen’s composure faltered and she shifted Anna on her hip. “The last communication I received indicated two Pawns were missing from the Summer Palace mission. If Henry’s not with your parents’ group then he must be one of the missing ones. I suspected as much.”

 

“What!” Emma spat, sudden anger spiking through her core. “ _ You KNEW Henry was missing _ ? I thought you said he was safe with them. Where the hell is he!”

 

Snow jumped in to calm things down before the two mothers had a chance to get into an argument over their son. “Emma, don’t worry. David and I will go back to the Palace right away. We will find him. I promise.”

 

As soon as they ended the Skype-mirror session Emma glared at Regina, silently demanding a better explanation about why she’d withheld crucial information about their son’s location. She gaped. There were no words for it.

 

Irritatingly, Regina wouldn’t even meet her eyes.

 

* * *

 

The Queen sat at her desk in the Board room. Everything had been tidied after Robin had trashed the place but there were some things that could not be undone. Such as the long deep scratch that arced through the surface of her heavy quebracho desk. It must’ve happened when the desk had been overturned, falling into some of the steel weaponry that’d been reefed off the walls.

 

Quebracho was a very hard wood. It broke axes not the other way around.

 

Regina’s mood dropped lower, thinking of her missing son and what might’ve happened to him. She should not have allowed him out of her sight. She should have kept him safely inside the castle, even if he hated her for constraining him so. Emma hated her for not doing it. She’d failed both of the people she cared about most.

 

After the magic mirror conversation with her parents, Emma had stalked out of the Queen’s chambers, making her anger with the Queen rather obvious. The old Emma would’ve stayed to yell in her face and place the blame squarely where it belonged. But this one was restrained, only allowing herself to angrily slap the bedpost on the way out.

 

Regina traced her fingers over the deep scratch in the desk. She placed three small marbles in the groove so that they wouldn’t roll away. She’d been collecting the macabre souvenirs, hoping to learn something from them about the recent attacks they’d been responsible for.

 

One was green, the second was red, and the third was purple.

 

“You lied to me.” Emma stood across from the desk, towering over her. She must’ve snuck in quietly.

 

“I did,” said Regina, not bothering to accompany it with any excuses or even reasons. She had deliberately not told Emma that their son was missing and possibly in danger. Mary Margaret and David would find Henry, if anyone could find a missing Charming it was them. She stared at the marbles, studying them for clues.

 

“Don’t do it again, from now on we’re a team and we share everything relevant to our son. Okay?”

 

Regina looked up finally. Their eyes met and held. Wordlessly, Emma seemed to get the message and everything Regina wanted to say and apologise for was understood in that moment.

 

“They’ll find him,” said Emma, apparently trying  to  convince  herself. “He’s going to be fine. Maybe he got caught up looking through the castle or something. He’s such a nerd for all this medieval stuff. This is literally his dream vacation. Better than Disneyland.”

 

There it was -- a peace offering. Regina shrugged, not really believing in the possibility that nothing had gone wrong. “Maybe.”

 

“I’m still pissed off at you.”

 

“So what else is new.”

 

Emma rolled her eyes. “Conjure me a chair so I can sit here and glare at you a bit longer.”

 

Regina did so. A second chair on the opposite side of the desk appeared in a swirl of purple smoke. Emma sat down and immediately propped her boots up on the corner of the desk. If she hadn’t known better she would’ve assumed that this Emma had her old memories back and knew exactly how to annoy her.

 

“What do we do now?” Emma sighed. “I hate waiting around doing nothing.”

 

“You can help me figure out what this means.”

 

“Three marbles?”

 

“They’re Shades.” Regina pointed to each one in turn starting with the green marble. “The Shade of Envy, the Shade of Lust, and the Shade of Wrath. Corresponding to three of the seven deadly sins so far. I retrieved one from each of the people who has been infected. I can’t figure out the connection-- why the Witch is infecting people with this kind of magic which she should know I can defeat easily.”

 

Emma bent forward to pick up the green marble between two fingers, apparently curious about the magic curse that’d caused her to attack her little sister out of jealous resentment. If she’d actually hurt her or killed her she would never have forgiven herself, even if she hadn’t been in control of her own actions at the time.

 

“This was mine?” asked Emma.

 

“Yes,” Regina confirmed. “The Shades seem to bring out latent or buried feelings and amplify them to disastrous levels. Sadness at another’s good fortune leads to Envy. Even though you love her, deep down you resent your sister for having the childhood you deserved.”

 

“Thanks, Dr Freud. What about Robin Hood?”

 

“His was Wrath. Uncontrolled anger.”

 

“Due to?”

 

Regina’s gaze shifted sideways before answering. “Frustration at being rejected for another.”

 

Thankfully Emma didn’t press for more details about the reasons for the broken off ‘engagement’. “What about the red one. Uh- did you say Lust? I don’t remember when that happened.”

 

“You were still recovering. One of the war children was sexually abused by a known child trafficker. He’s dead now.”

 

Emma’s face darkened. “Good. That’s a pretty grim manifestation of ‘lust’ though. Fucking gross.”

 

“I killed him. Perhaps that was a sin too.”

 

“You were protecting a vulnerable child. It’s not like the guy was innocent. Why? Do you feel like you did the wrong thing?”

 

Regina closed her eyes against a niggle of pain that signaled a headache coming on. “I’ve killed many in my lifetime but none so recently. It was a shock how easy it was. Was it wrong to kill someone for something they did while under the influence of an infection? He’d already been captured by the villagers. They said he’d harmed children before but I didn’t know that for sure when I did it. Maybe I just needed an excuse to snap someone’s neck that day. Maybe that could happen again with someone who  _ is _ innocent.” 

 

“No.” Emma said forcefully. “I don’t believe that. That’s not who you are anymore.”

 

“You don’t have all of your memories, Emma. If you remembered all of the things you used to know about me you’d think differently. Believe me.”

 

“The other me trusted you.”

 

Regina scoffed lightly. “Your trust was hard won, I assure you.”

 

“You spared me when I was infected and tried to kill you. And Robin too. You said we should help him instead. Henry talked my ear off telling me how great you are. I reckon I know you enough to know you’re not the same person they say you used to be.”

 

It was impossible to refute but the Queen didn’t quite believe in the morality of her own actions. The reason she’d spared Emma was because she knew her personally. Regina had known that it was impossible that the Saviour would be so violent towards her or anyone. With the rock spider she had not taken time to investigate before invoking summary justice -- lethally.

 

Emma picked up the other two marbles and rolled them around in her palm. “I think I’ve figured it out. The Witch is trying to provoke you.”

 

“Provoke me to murder?” Regina let out a humourless laugh. “That’s not exactly difficult to achieve.”

 

“Each Shade has been used to attack you and someone you care about. It’s like she’s punishing you. For what though?”

* * *

 

_ The Royal Fork Inn _

 

Hook scanned the rest of the Inn’s occupants with bleary eyes, searching for a familiar face but not expecting to see one. Tink was recuperating at the castle after being attacked yesterday. After she’d been carried off he’d tried to find her and ended up stumbling upon a group of villagers who wouldn’t let him leave without paying his debts. 

 

Swan was the one he really wanted to see. But she didn’t remember him and for some reason she was glued to Regina’s side these days. If he hadn’t known better he would’ve assumed that the Queen had seduced Emma on purpose just to spite him. As soon as Swan got her memories back she’d remember her attraction to him. It would be gratifying to see Regina heartbroken again. The only reason he was here in the godforsaken Enchanted Forest in the first place was because of her. 

 

“‘Nother rum!” Hook slurred to a barmaid as she walked past. “Need more rum.”

 

The barmaid rolled her eyes and went to fetch the drink. It was the middle of the day and he was not the only drunk in the establishment.

 

The Inn door opened briefly and blinding daylight flashed through as someone entered. They wore a dark cloak pulled up over their head. It wasn’t exactly unusual to see odd people at the ‘Royal Fuck’ as it was casually known. The hooded figure went to the bar and spoke briefly to the barmaid seemingly without asking for any alcohol.

 

“Hurry up ‘n order, mate,” said Hook, impatient that someone was delaying the barmaid’s return trip.  “S’not hard.”

 

The barmaid grabbed a new bottle of Pirate’s Choice and uncorked it. She went to bring it over to Hook but was intercepted by the hooded figure who took the bottle themself.

 

“Allow me,” said whoever it was in the cloak. The voice was unidentifiable and wispy, like it was only inside his mind. The person approached Killian’s table and handed over the order. “I apologise for making you wait for what you want. Beware the insatiable appetite of Greed. Or don’t, as you will.”

 

Hook scoffed and snatched the bottle of amber alcohol up. Even if he’d not been drunk it would’ve been hard to notice a small yellow sphere sunk to the bottom of the bottle.

 

He chugged a mouthful of rum and then left the Inn without paying.

* * *

 

“Mmm, that’s so good!” Emma moaned with pleasure.

 

“Try this.”

 

“Are you using magic?”

 

Regina chuckled as the tiny berry disappeared from her fingertips between a pair of wet lips. “No, dear, you’ve just forgotten what modern agriculture has done to your tastebuds. Strawberries the size of apples but none of the taste.”

 

The Queen admired Emma’s enjoyment of the sweet berries and sucked on her own bottom lip. What she wouldn’t give to hear her the Saviour moaning her praises in an entirely different context. Preferably a naked one involving a bed. Maybe the bath. Definitely the bed for the first time she decided.

 

Or maybe she could pull the Saviour into her lap right now and bury her face in her neck, arching against her as Emma’s head tipped back, lost in passionate lust...

 

Regina’s face flushed at the images that flooded her mind. She chided herself for thinking about it in the first place -- especially now when their son was missing -- though it was the first time she’d been able to relax in days. Her pulse was thrumming and she was warm all over from the pleasant company.

 

The spread had been laid out across the desk where the two women had been ‘working’ on discussing what the Witch was really up to in the realm. At the proper mealtime, two servants bearing trays of fruit, cheeses, and nuts appeared without being summoned. 

 

They ate lunch comfortably together. Emma’s hair had dried into messy gold curls overnight and her cheeks were pink with recently recovered health. She’d shucked her leather jacket and rolled the sleeves off her white lawn shirt up around her elbows. The material was bunched at her biceps, stretching it whenever she flexed her arm out to reach for some more food. It was a shame that her wounds no longer needed tending, it’d given Regina a good excuse to touch her under her shirt and take care of her. She missed it.

 

“What are you staring at.”

 

Regina snapped out of her daydream. “Huh?”

 

“Seriously, what?” Emma smiled and frowned at the same time. “Have I got something on my face? Juice running down my chin?”

 

“No, dear. You look -- well.”

 

“Well? As in ‘healthy’ or like a hole in the ground.”

 

“You’re exasperating! I meant that you seem to have recovered from your injuries.”

 

“Oh. Yeah, someone did a good job taking care of me. I’d wake up everyday with fresh bandages and stuff, slept right through it. Hope you pay your staff well.“

 

Regina couldn’t help it. She didn’t want to let the credit slide to some random maid. She wanted to admit it, she wanted Emma to know. “It was me. I changed your dressings.”

 

“D’uh, as if I didn’t know.” Emma grinned, having been trolling her all along. “Probly why I’m still alive. Like anyone else in this place gives a shit if I live or die.”

 

“That’s not true.”

 

“I suppose. My um- parents obviously care but… I can’t get my head around this place sometimes. It seems brutal and backwards compared to the real world.”

 

“Hence why I created Storybrooke.”

 

“The berries are good though.” Emma scooped up a handful of blueberries and popped them into her mouth one by one. “What’s it like? No offense, but Storybrooke kinda sounds like every other small town where nothing happens and everybody knows everybody.”

 

“It is,” said Regina, smiling fondly. “It’s lovely -- the perfect place for a family. I spent the best years of my life there. It felt like home. In a way that this place never has.”

 

“I’ve never had a place that felt like that. Maybe I will one day.” Emma made her confession in a soft voice. 

 

It wasn’t meant to be a dig pointed at her, but Regina knew it was because of her that Emma had never felt at home anywhere in the world. Because she wasn’t  _ from _ that world and had no family there. Even the fake memories of her life with Henry in New York and other places weren’t real enough to give her that innate sense of belonging. Regina had tried to give her a good life with happy memories so that she could escape the curse but it obviously hadn’t been enough. Home was something you couldn’t fake.

 

_ What I wouldn’t give to be back in Storybrooke right now, knowing what I do now about my own heart and hers. If only things had been different! Perhaps Emma, Henry, and I could have been a family. I had them both in my life, they were right there, but I squandered the time fighting with her and competing over our son. And now? I’d settle for them to be safe. Even if I have to be alone while my heart breaks every day wishing for her to remember. Maybe then I could tell her the truth... _

 

“What does the Witch actually want?” asked Emma. “She’s the Wicked Witch of the West from the Land of Oz right. So what is she doing here. I’ve seen the movie. Is she still obsessed with shoes?”

 

“She’s looking for the Lost Princess,” said Regina, sipping from a pewter goblet. “No-one knows the princess’s true identity, not even the Witch. That’s why you and Anna are in danger. She may decide to kill every princess she can find.”

 

“What does the Witch want with killing the princess in the first place?”

 

“Because the lost princess is the rightful ruler of Oz who was stolen as a baby. If she returns, she immediately takes the throne and has the power to free the innocents enslaved by the Wicked Witch. The Witch is powerful and has tried numerous times to take over the entirety of Oz but she can’t do it while ever the true bloodline remains. The princess is considered lost because she hasn’t been seen in five thousand years.”

 

“Five thousand years-?”

 

“Yes, Princess Ozma Tippetarius is immortal. Half human, half fairy. But she’s been gone for so long that people doubt her existence altogether.”

 

“Huh.” Emma was thoughtful for a minute. “So how is all of that connected to you? Is punishing you just a side project.”

 

“The Witch thinks I might know who the fairy child is.”

 

“Do you?”

 

The Queen hesitated, unsure whether to tell even a single soul what she suspected. “I think I do. I’m hoping the Witch will not figure it out. In the meantime she’s certainly carrying out her warning to me.”

 

Regina remembered the pain of the staticky message that had screeched through her brain more than once. The first warning had come via Emma lips: _"I'm going to take everything from you. First your enemies, then your friends, and then your loved ones.”_ The ogres -- definitely enemies of the entire realm -- had been massacred first. Then flying monkeys had attacked Snow White and Prince Charming (who perhaps qualified as enemies AND friends). Then the fiends had attacked her best and only friend, Tink.

 

The Witch had yet to fulfill the last part of her promise: taking the Queen’s loved ones from her. Sickening dread churned in Regina’s stomach at the realisation that the ones she loved formed a short list. 

 

_ Emma. Henry. _

 

She couldn’t bear to lose either of them. Emma had already been tortured once by the Witch, would she survive another encounter?

 

Emma bit into a square of cheese. “How’s Tinkerbell doing?”

 

“Better,” Regina sighed with relief. “I don’t think attacking her was random however. The Witch is coming after everything I hold dear.”

 

“I hope Henry’s ok.”

 

“As do I.”

 

“You’re worried about Henry.”

 

Regina nodded again, without speaking.

 

“Me too.”

 

They both knew that if the Witch was indeed attacking anyone related to Regina that would put Henry squarely in her firing line. But for now there was nothing to do but wait until they’d heard from the Charmings as to whether their son was to be found at the Palace ruins.

 

Without another word Emma reached across the desk to take her hand and laced their fingers together.

* * *

 

The castle was convinced by now that someone had kidnapped Princess Anna and replaced her with a banshee.

 

The youngest Charming daughter was often the sweetest little child in the universe, however, she was indeed capable of being a Miss Terrible Two without notice or reason. This afternoon was one example. The toddler had gone into a complete meltdown in the Great Hall and Nanny -- who had the patience of a saint -- tried everything she could think of to defuse it to no avail.

 

Anna refused to go down for a nap that morning and put together with spending several days in a new place without her parents meant that she was well beyond due for a full-on screamfest flop-on-the-floor back-arching tantrum. Seeing her Mommy and Daddy’s faces in the magic mirror for a brief time only made their absence worse.

 

The Queen came to everyone’s rescue and scooped up the flailing pile of legs and arms from the floor.

 

Regina remembered well from raising her own son that every cranky toddler behaved by their own set of rules. Anna’s apparently included throwing Pig across the room for the express purpose of making an adult fetch it back to her and insisting that she would only nap if her Godmother held her the entire time.

 

After strolling the corridors for half an hour with an increasingly lulled Anna draped over her front, Regina was finally winning the battle. She stopped in an alcove around the corner from her Chambers to rock the girl from side to side.

 

That was when she heard an intense low conversation going on nearby. Hook’s British accent and the wafting scent of stale rum were easily recognisable.

 

_ “- you can’t trust her. She’s lied to you this whole time.” _

 

_ “You have three seconds to explain,” hissed Emma’s voice. “Before I deck you for grabbing me like this.” _

 

_ “The Evil Queen cast that curse and it was her idea to bring you to the Enchanted Forest in the first place. Let me guess - she’s told you you’re stuck here and there’s no way to go back? Regina is not going to let you take Henry back to the real world. Here, she has all the power and she will use it to keep him with her.” _

 

_ “He’s my son.” _

 

_ “You don’t remember, she nearly killed the lad trying to keep the two of you apart. She’s tried to kill you and your parents many times. No-one else will tell you this - they all want to believe Regina’s changed. Your parents are so blinded by hope and faith they just can’t see it.” _

 

_ Hook pressed on, whispering gently now. “You used to trust me, Swan. When you get your memories back you’ll remember how you felt about me and what we had. You’ll remember how you kissed me in Neverland.” _

 

_ “Look.” Emma sounded impatient. “I get that maybe something happened between us in the past. To be honest you’re the kind of guy I would’ve dated once but that was a long time ago -- when I was young and fell for stuff like that.” _

 

_ “You want me.” _

 

The conversation went quiet then. It was easy to picture the two of them kissing. 

 

Regina swallowed hard and leaned against the stone wall of the alcove. Her insides churned like she wanted to throw up. Tears pricked her eyes and she forced them back. 

 

Hook was saying nothing about her that wasn’t true. But he’d also left everything out. She had come so far with Emma, worked so hard to change hoping that Emma would see it, but it was all for nothing -- Tink was right, she’d held back too much and now she’d lost her chance. One she may never have had in the first place. Someone else had gotten in first.

 

She was six foot deep in her own pity party, clinging to a now snoozing Anna. Regina was just about to leave when she heard the soft noises of a struggle.

 

_ “-mmph. Don’t.” It was Emma’s voice, firm but not overly distressed. Yet. _

 

_ Hook, breathing hard. “I’m taking what we both want, Swan.” _

 

_ “Get off me! Let go!” _

 

Alarm stabbed Regina in the chest. It was unmistakable now. The sound of scuffing boots on the stone floor and the slap and scrape of leather as two people fought for control. Emma was a strong woman who was probably trained in self-defense - she could throw that scoundrel off couldn’t she?

 

The Queen rounded the corner, malevolent fury narrowing her vision, to see that her instincts were right. Hook had Emma pinned against the wall. Emma was doing her best to fight him off but there wasn’t much she could do even if she were strong enough. The pirate was holding his hook millimetres from the delicate skin of her throat. This was obviously not a consensual romantic interlude. 

 

“HOOK!” the Queen bellowed. “Get off her or so help me I will shove that hook down your throat and gouge out your intestines with it.”

 

Hook turned to regard Regina with a sneer. His sallow skin was yellow, as though jaundiced from liver failure, and his eye glinted with malice. 

 

“I want it, I’m taking it.  _ Your Majesty. _ ” His smirk widened briefly before he turned back to Emma and forced his lips onto hers.

 

Anna screamed in her arms, now wide awake. At the same time Regina used all the magic she could muster to blast Hook away. He flew backwards and hit the stones hard, hopefully breaking something. It did not subdue him, apparently he was stronger than expected. The pirate got up, still eyeing Emma like prey.

 

“Swan doesn’t belong to you, Regina. I won’t ever strike the colours. Not to you.”

 

Regina stepped forward so that she was standing in front of Emma, blocking his view. “I’d kill you but I’m holding a baby. Your ‘crocodile’ can deal with you instead.”

 

Before Hook could voice a protest, the Queen whirled her free arm surrounding him in a twister of swirling purple smoke. Seconds later the man had vanished and the hallway only contained the three of them. 

 

As soon as he was gone Anna began to whine and struggle in Regina’s arms, Regina started rocking her and whispering to her.  _ “It’s ok, baby. The stinky meanie is gone now.” _

 

Emma, still new to the sight of magic, stared at the spot where Hook had been standing. She rubbed her wrist absentmindedly. “Where did you send him?” she asked.

 

“Rumpelstiltzskin’s manor,” said Regina. “They’ve had a feud that’s been carrying on for centuries. I honestly don’t care which of them prevails. Good riddance to both. Isn’t that right, sweetiepie?” Regina said the last part in a baby voice while she kissed Anna’s cheek while the toddler grizzled.

 

“Uh, thanks.” Emma still couldn’t raise her eyes. She gestured loosely. “For you know.”

 

The Queen furrowed her brow slightly. If asked she would’ve guessed that a situation like what just happened would not have phased the tough bailbondsperson. Of course she was affected though. Perhaps Emma was even in shock. Regina cursed herself inwardly for even considering walking away before. The thought of what might have happened made her blood boil.

 

“Emma?” Regina said softly.

 

“Yeah.” Emma shook her head and made brief eye contact. But her smile was fake. “I’m good.”

* * *

 

_ Queen’s chambers, sunset  _

 

The baby was finally -- blessedly -- asleep in the Queen’s bed surrounded by pillows. Regina had put Anna down and now that she’d comforted the littlest Charming princess it was time to check on the eldest one.

 

Regina parted the filmy curtains to the balcony where Emma was leaning on the railing and staring out at the darkening Winter skyline. An impressive array of orange and pink broke through the grey clouds towards the western horizon. It was quiet -- much like being far from the city in the real world.

 

“You're good with her,” Emma said without turning.

 

Regina joined her so that they stood side by side. “She's a beautiful little girl. Especially when she's sleeping like an angel. She misses your parents.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

In the fading light the Queen noticed that her companion’s face was wet. She laid a hand on Emma's cold arm and turned her, surprised when the other woman didn't resist. She asked gently a question she feared hearing the answer. 

 

“Emma. Did he hurt you, dear?” 

 

Emma sniffed and swiped at her face. “No. I'm fine. I can handle myself. Hook’s an idiot and he's been hitting on me since the moment I got here, but I never thought it’d go that far…”

 

Regina ached to hold her, to comfort her, or do anything to erase what'd happened. Most of all she wanted to make sure nothing and nobody ever again harmed the woman she loved with all her ruined heart. Least of all some greedy man indiscriminately taking whatever he wanted. She’d long known of the pirate’s reputation for pillaging and conquering; the only reason she hadn’t warned Emma was because of what she’d witnessed in Neverland. The old Emma would’ve insisted that Hook be given the benefit of the doubt.

 

“I'm sorry,” Regina confessed in a rough voice.

 

“What for?” said Emma. “You saved me from a crap situation.”

 

“I heard you two talking…” Regina coloured with embarrassment. “At first I thought you were… receptive. I wasn't going to interrupt.”

 

“Yeah, no. He kissed me. It took me by surprise. I never wanted him to though-- like,  _ at all _ . Don't worry, I'm not traumatised or anything. It's just been a hard day.”

 

Something about her tone made Regina suspect that she wasn’t talking about the incident with Hook. She was dying to ask. She wanted to press Emma until she confided in her and told her exactly what was troubling her so that she could do whatever it took to make it better. She was a Queen -- and in moments like this it was utterly clear how powerless she was when it came to keeping those she cared about safe and happy.

 

It had only been a few days since Emma had been brought to this world. If the Saviour was half as skeptical and scared of her past now as she had been in Storybrooke she was overdue for a breakdown.

 

The sun was sinking fast below the horizon, leaving only the chill of Winter darkness behind. Emma, of course, had come outside in only her shirt and vest sans leather jacket. Regina noticed the other woman shiver and cursed herself for not having something warm to give her. What she wanted most was to move behind her and wrap her arms around her. Would Emma allow that? Would she welcome it?

 

“Is something else bothering you?” Regina asked softly. “You can tell me anything. If you’re inclined to.” 

 

“They're really my parents aren't they,” said Emma dully.

 

“Yes, dear.”   
  


Emma swallowed a sob, her voice now thick with the tears she wouldn’t allow. “I- I thought they were dead! I figured there was no point dealing with the idea of having found my parents. But now I have to-- a-and I don't know what to do! I don’t know what to feel. All my life I’ve wondered who they were, how they died, why they gave me up… It turns out they’re fairytale characters who are real and alive and apparently I’ve met them before but I don’t even remember.”

 

“It is the truth though, as hard as it is to comprehend. You are their daughter.” 

 

Emma’s voice was small. “What if they don't like who I am now.”

 

“Trust me, they will. They do.”

 

“But I’m not perfect like Anna. I’m actually kinda crap.”

 

Regina sighed into a smile and shook her head slowly. The woman really had no clue how special she was. “You have no idea how much they wanted you. You have always been so loved.”

 

“I guess the other me knew that huh.”

 

“I’m certain of it.”

 

All of a sudden Emma abandoned her stance at the balcony and stepped so intimately close to her that Regina thought she might be about to plant one on her. The Queen never felt more drawn to the beautiful Saviour, her entire body felt alive and electric and even though they were mere inches away she wanted to be even closer.

 

“Please don't lie to me,” whispered Emma in a shaky voice. “I have to know why you cast the Sleeping Curse on yourself. You keep saving me. In the real world, did you love me -- the other me? Because I -... god, you’re so amazing and beautiful and I’m falling for you and I want to know whether you could love  _ this _ me too.” She said the last part in a nervous rush.

 

It was too hard to lie anymore so the Queen didn’t bother. Neither could she get the words out. 

 

Regina nodded and cupped her hands either side of Emma’s pleading face, fingertips threading through honey blonde curls. She could not hold it back any longer. The last of her reticence crumbled and she surged forward seeking what she desperately hoped Emma wanted this as much as she did. Her heart began to thud when she saw Emma drop her eyes and part her lips. In that moment she knew she was going to kiss her.

 

_ “Ahem.” _

 

They both jumped at the intrusion milliseconds before their lips even had a chance to brush. A sound of annoyance escaped one or both of them at the interruption. The two women searched for the source of the voice.

 

A tiny blue ball of light grew in size suddenly and then swooped into Regina’s eyeline.

 

“Your Majesty,” the Blue Fairy sneered.

 

Regina gritted her teeth. “What do you want. Buzz off.”

 

The belligerent fairy deliberately ignored her and turned her attention to Emma. She bowed her head. “Princess. I am relieved to see you are  _ relatively _ safe. No matter, you will soon remember why this is a bad idea.”

 

Emma frowned. “What are you talking about.”

 

The Blue Fairy waved her tiny splinter of a wand and a glass vial appeared in the Royal princess’s hand. “I have finally gathered the rare ingredients to replace the memory potion for you. Drink it immediately to have your real memories restored to you -- and this time, Your Highness, please DO NOT destroy it.”

 


	17. Acedia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. I got a couple negative reviews and was down about it for a while. Writing is so complicated when you have Feelings to get over lol. Thanks to those who continue to read and enjoy this story! Happy Sunday :)

_ Summer forest, 2 miles from the ruined Palace _

 

Snow White and Prince Charming set off for the Palace at first light the next morning. It had been torture trying to sleep, knowing that Henry might be lost or worse, but there was no point searching for missing people in the dark. Regina ordered them not to put themselves in  _ “dangerous situations like the idiots you are” _ so soon after finding out they were alive. Hence they were forced to wait until morning.

 

The Royals went alone. All of the Elite soldiers were employed in protecting the civilians back at the makeshift camp and they did not want to risk leaving their people unprotected should the Witch decide to attack them again.

 

Mary Margaret reached for her husband’s hand as they neared the ruins. It was an awful sight. A grim reminder of just how close they’d come to losing everything important mixed with the dread of what they might find inside now.

 

Mary Margaret worried her lip as they walked the road. “I wonder how Emma is this morning.” 

 

David reassured her. “I’m sure she’s calmed down, my love. Regina will make her see the sense in waiting until we find out if Henry’s really here.”

 

“Hmm. Emma’s quite stubborn.”

 

“And Regina’s not?”

 

“She is, but she also won’t let anything get in the way of what she wants. Even herself. Whereas Emma's a runner.”

 

David chuckled. “What does that mean.”

 

“Did you know Emma’s gay?”

 

“Wha-?” the Prince cleared his throat, stunned by the sudden 180 in topic. “Ahem. I know you said she has some sort of… ‘thing’ with Regina. But I also thought she liked Hook and then there was Neal... How do you know?”

 

“She told me the first day she got here. It saddens me.”

 

David swiveled on her with concern. “Honey, it’s ok. Our daughter is still the same wonderful person. She has as much chance for happiness as anyone.”

 

“Of course she does! That’s not why it makes me sad. It’s that we’re only finding out about it here,  _ now _ . I thought we were close in Storybrooke but she never said a word about such a big part of herself. It worries me that she felt she couldn’t tell us when she knew we were her parents. Did she think we wouldn’t love her and support her? How could she even think that.”

 

“It’s not really about us, Mar. It’s about how Emma feels. We have to do our best to be available and open to whatever she’s comfortable with telling us.”

 

Mary’s voice wavered and she blinked quickly, she wrapped her arms around her middle. “I keep losing my children.”

 

The dry leaves underfoot crunched as David stopped to face her. He brought both his hands up to cup under his wife’s chin and spoke gently. “Snow. If you run after woodland creatures, what happens? They run away. But if you wait quietly and listen… they’ll come to you.”

 

Mary Margaret smiled in spite of her melancholy. “I’m sure Emma would be thrilled to be compared to a chipmunk.”

 

A twig snapped nearby and they both paused, scanning through the trees for any movement. 

 

The woods were nearly silent, not even the birds were singing, but there was definitely no creature in sight -- human or animal. They were on one of the kingdom roads, ordinarily a main thoroughfare to and from the Summer village, and before the evacuation it would not have been this deserted. The Royals listened for further noises but heard none.

 

“Everything will be fine,” said David, tipping his head towards the ruined Palace not far ahead. “We’ll find Henry and then we’ll go to our girls.”

 

“The Elites said Henry and the other pawn, Jenna, were headed for the new wing where the Ballroom meets the battlements.”

 

“Unfortunately that’s where most of the damage was.”

 

Mary nodded, eyes flitting to the woods to her side, and then they set off again, hand-in-hand. “Let’s go around the perimeter first. Just in case.”

* * *

_ Winter castle _

 

If Emma thought this morning was going to be different to her previous ones she would’ve been wrong. 

 

She’d woken up grumpy and alone in a cold bed again. Before she was even upright her troubled thoughts resumed. Not only was she was annoyed with herself for opening up to Regina last night, sounding like a pathetic orphan, she was extra annoyed at herself for begging her to tell her she was loved. She wasn’t sure what’d come over her.

 

_ Ugh! Why did I do that! I must’ve sounded like a desperate idiot. _

 

Emma could've sworn Regina had been about to kiss her though. Maybe it was just wishful thinking. Being interrupted by that shady Blue Fairy while laying her heart bare had only left her feeling vulnerable. And stupid.

 

But the look she'd seen in the Queen’s incredibly dark and expressive eyes… Oh god. It was like staring right into her dreams, like the dark chocolate orbs held everything she'd ever wanted and were welcoming her home… A home she couldn’t remember.

 

Emma marched the halls with purpose, determined to run into the Queen on her way back from her routine check on her friend, Tink.

 

They had to talk. About the ‘not-kiss’ and whatever was going on between them. At least if she got rejected she could tell her stupid brain to get over it and stop obsessing over her son’s mother. 

 

_ Yeah, right. _

 

Emma rounded a corner and nearly bowled over by the subject of her thoughts. They did a quick awkward dance.

 

Regina stepped aside. She could her looking her up and down which was unnecessary because she'd been the one to conjure Emma’s change of clothing herself. “Good morning.” 

 

Annoyingly, the Queen looked as stunning as always, today in a deep crimson skirt and boned bodice trimmed with black lace and iced with swirls of crushed diamonds. Her shiny raven black hair half swept into a matching diamond comb leaving the rest of the shorn locks kicking around her chin.

 

Emma tried not to be affected by her presence, shoving the zing of instant attraction down inside. 

 

The Queen spoke again, looking at her closely. “I don’t suppose you’ve taken the potion yet.”

 

“No. Why are you avoiding me,” said Emma, no preamble whatsoever. 

 

Regina raised an imperious eyebrow. “I have staff all over the castle. I know where you are at all times. If I were avoiding you I would be much more effective at it than this encounter implies.”

 

“Where do you go at nights. Do you sleep?”

 

“Excuse me? Of course I sleep.”

 

“Where?” Emma pressed on. “Not in your chambers, because I’ve been there every night for a week or more. There must be a million guest rooms in a place like this. If you want me to get out so you can have your room back just say so.”

 

The Queen actually looked affronted at the idea that her hospitality was lacking. “That’s uncalled for. I’ve never said or done anything to make you think that’s what I want.”

 

“If you don’t want me out and you’re not avoiding me, then why are sleeping in some other room? Or are you up all night working. You always look exhausted these days. Are you avoiding sleep or is sleep evading you. Which is it.”

 

Regina screwed up her face in annoyed confusion, she must have finally lost her patience. “Emma,  _ what? _ ! These questions are insane. What do you want to know?”

 

Emma enunciated each word. “Are. you. sleeping.”

 

“Obviously I am,” the Queen’s eyes flashed with sarcasm. “Sleep deprivation is dangerous, if I’d not slept in a week I’d be psychotic by now. Some might say ‘ _ more _ psychotic’.”

 

The contemptuous reply only made Emma feel more pissy and she muttered some curses under her breath. “Fucking hell you're impossible to deal with sometimes.”

 

“I don’t think it’s me who is being impossible right now. Why won’t you just take the damn potion and-”

 

Footsteps of guards or servants going about their daily business were audible down the hall. Sound always carried easily in the stone corridors. It would not do for the Queen to be overheard arguing with her supposed guest/lover and spark gossip that would spread around the castle like wildfire.

 

Regina looked both ways and then pulled Emma aside, lowering her voice to a hiss. “What are we even arguing about. It’s too early for this. Did you get out of the wrong side of the bed this morning.”

 

“Yes!” Emma gestured wildly, aware that she must seem half crazy by now. “Because you weren't in it. You lied to me about the sleeping curse, you lied to me about Henry, and you won’t tell me about our past. You won’t come near me when it’s late, it’s like you’re hiding something. And you haven’t said a word to me since you almost kissed me last night.”

 

“It’s not what you think-”

 

“ _ Don’t _ pretend like there’s nothing between us--”

 

Regina shook her head. “You don’t understand.” 

 

“You make me feel  _ stupid _ !  _ I hate this! _ ”

 

Without warning, Regina stepped closer to Emma and wrapped her arms around her. They both vanished on the spot leaving only a cloud of purple smoke.

* * *

_ Summer Palace ruins _

 

“Put your back into it, honey.”

 

David exhaled with effort and sent his wife a quelling Look. “Really?” he panted, pushing his weight against a fallen wooden beam trying to shift it. “I could use a little help here, princess.”

 

Mary Margaret smiled sweetly at her husband. “I could summon my woodland creatures to help you… but then I’d miss out on watching my handsome prince exert his physical strength. It’s having quite the effect on me. I imagine that will be of some interest to you later.”

 

“Well, at least I’m throwing out my back for a good cause.”

 

Something shifted in the rubble finally and David was able to shoulder the beam’s heavy weight long enough to clear a gap. They were on the wrong side of the ballroom though, where the twisted remains of the ceiling, tapestries, and light fixtures formed a prohibitive tangle.

 

“Mary!” David wheezed. “Can you slip through? I can’t hold it long.”

 

Mary Margaret crouched and ducked into the opening David had cleared and made her way as far into the rubble as she could, which unfortunately was not more than a few yards. There was plenty of light illuminating the dust motes and she could recognise particular furnishings from her palace ballroom now laying in ruin.

 

Something odd caught her eye. A flash of gold and she recognised it immediately. 

 

A glass coffin with script running along the golden base.  _ Here lies the Queen Regina… Long live the Queen... _

 

“Can you see anything?” called David.

 

“Yes!” Mary Margaret called back. “It’s the glass coffin. The one Regina was placed in while she was under the sleeping curse. But it’s empty of course.”

 

“Do you think Henry might’ve come this way and found it?”

 

“I doubt it. There’s too much damage here to get any further through. We have to go back and around another way.”

 

Mary carefully extricated herself from the wreck and quickly passed through the gap David was still maintaining by straining his weight against the beam. As soon as she was clear, he let it go with a solid thud. The cloud of dust made them both cough.

 

“We’ll have to backtrack,” said Mary. David nodded. 

 

Snow White and Prince Charming went back the way they came and circled around the worst of the ruined battlements to enter the castle once more. The only way to get in this time was directly opposite the side of the ballroom they’d first come in on. The halls were cluttered but their passing through them was unhindered though it was sad to see their once lively palace so quiet and empty.

 

“This is awful,” said Mary Margaret, slipping her hand into her husband’s for comfort. “It could take years to repair all of this.”

 

“The most important thing is that nobody was hurt. Or worse.”

 

“That we know of,” she sighed. “Besides, Emma did get hurt by the Witch. I don’t even want to think about what it’d be like if something’s happened to Henry.”

 

“There’s no sign that anyone came this way. What was the name of the other Pawn?” 

 

“Jenna.”

 

A cough came from nearby. The two Royals froze immediately, wide-eyed.

 

“Who’s there?” called Mary Margaret. “Is anyone there?”

 

David paused and then called out into the emptiness. “We’re here to help.”

 

The coughs repeated, and then the two of them saw what they hadn’t noticed before. A small figure dressed head-to-toe in black combat gear with silver livery was slumped against what was left of the ballroom entryway.

 

“Oh my god!” Mary Margaret and David snapped into action and ran to the figure, who they presumed was injured. It was not Henry but a young blonde girl of similar age wearing the uniform of Regina’s Elite guards.

 

Mary knelt by the girl who stared a thousand-yard stare. Her first assumption was that the girl had gone into shock. “Jenna, is that you? Are you ok, what happened.”

 

David scanned the pre-teen’s body for injuries and looked around for anything that might account for her current condition. But there was no blood, no wounds or damage to be seen.

 

Jenna sighed wearily. “What do you want.”

 

“I’m Snow White from the Winter Kingdom and this is Prince Charming. We’re here to rescue you. The Elites told us you went off with Henry. Do you know what happened to him?”

 

The girl shrugged, her blank expression indicating complete apathy about her fellow Pawn’s whereabouts. She sounded like a sullen teenager. “I guess.”

 

Mary pressed again. “Jenna, please tell us. It’s important. Where is Henry?”

 

There was no response from her. David asked more sternly. “Was the Witch here?”

 

Jenna nodded, an action which seemed to drain her of what little energy she appeared to possess. “She took Henry. I didn’t stop it.”

 

“What! Why? What did the Witch do to you.”

 

“Nothing. I just didn’t see why I should sacrifice myself and die for some spoiled rich brat. Besides he ordered me never to do it so I had to obey. Not that I care about him. As if it matters. Nothing does.”

 

The Royals were taken aback by the girl’s answer. They had not known Jenna previously but they knew well the culture of the Elite Royal Guards. The Guards were famous for their loyalty and devotion to their Queen, ready to fight for her or make any sacrifice necessary to uphold their honour. According to Regina, their loyalty would extend to her son.

 

It was utterly impossible that a young Elite could exhibit such a failure of duty as this.

 

Mary Margaret was terrified of two things right now: the idea that the Witch had abducted Henry and the fact that she would have to tell Regina what had happened to her son. The former Evil Queen was formidable on a good day, there was no telling what she’d be like on a day with her son in mortal danger.

 

Jenna coughed again. A shadow flickered over the blonde’s face as the light streaming in from a nearby broken window shifted. 

 

It was then that Mary Margaret noticed the colour of the girl’s skin. She was so pale and translucent that she almost looked… blue. Like she wasn’t getting enough oxygen in her blood.

 

“Jenna, do you feel ok-”

 

Suddenly Jenna began to cough and gasp violently, heaving her upper body forward as she fought for air. Mary Margaret’s caught her before she could fall flat to the floor and realised what was happening.

 

“David, she’s choking!”

 

* * *

_ Winter castle, Queen’s chambers _

 

A swirling puff of purple smoke appeared in the room revealing two women standing close, almost embracing. Emma extricated herself first before Regina had a chance to. She looked around, realising where they were. The rich dressings of the Queen’s chambers surrounded them. Having slept several nights there, to Emma it was the most familiar place in this entire realm.

 

“Oh, so now you want to be with me in your bedroom,” said Emma, rolling her eyes.

 

Regina barely hid her derision. “Your sarcasm is both irritating and unwanted. I brought us here so that we could talk without being overheard by half the castle.”

 

“Maybe I don’t want to talk.”

 

“You  _ literally just said _ that you were upset because I haven’t talked to you since last night. I’m a Queen, I’m very busy and have many demands on my t-”

 

Emma glared. “Yes, I know. You’re a Queen and I’m me. Listen to what I’m saying, I am  _ not _ upset.”

 

“Really, dear? Because I know you and you certainly look upset.”

 

“This again,” Emma muttered, pacing a few steps. “Of course. You remember everything and I don’t remember anything. I’m an idiot and I have to sit around being protected because I’m too weak to handle the truth.”

 

Damn it was annoying. The way that Regina did seem to know a lot about her. It kept throwing her off balance. Usually it was so easy to keep herself safely closed off from people, to keep her feelings to herself and not have to face anything she didn’t want to because nobody knew what was going on deep inside her. And when she ran nobody bothered to run after her. But Regina just kept giving her those  _ looks _ , like she understood Emma’s reticence and respected it though at the same time wanting to coax her to deal with what was bothering her.

 

Emma stopped her mindless pacing and went to sit on the edge of the mattress. She pressed her fingers into her forehead wearily and closed her eyes, knowing that Regina was most likely still waiting for her to speak again.

 

“You keep saying that you know me and there’s all this stuff that we supposedly went through together. But I don’t remember any of it. You won’t tell me what went on between us. I'm sick and tired of trying to guess.”

 

“Well,” the Queen said, summoning a patronising tone while examining her uncomfortably closely. “If you really want to know you could get your memories back whenever you want. You have the potion the Blue Fairy gave you last night don’t you? Or did you destroy it. Again.”

 

“I haven’t taken it yet. I don’t know if I will.”

 

“Why not?”

 

Emma sighed, flinging her arms out. “I don’t know! It’s too big a risk. What if I decide to take it and then I remember things that I wish I didn’t? I can’t take it back.”

 

“How very true.” It was evident that Regina was disappointed, maybe even quietly angry at her. “Ignorance is bliss as they say. It’s your decision though it affects all of us.”

 

“What happens when we go back to the real world?”

 

“What do you mean.”

 

“Hook brought me to this crazy place on your orders so that I could defeat this Witch person and save you all. I assume you have a plan for getting me and my son back to where we came from?”

 

Regina started to shake her head. “Emma, I-”

 

Emma’s eyes narrowed sharply. “Because if you don’t that’s pretty irresponsible. Selfish even! How could you bring Henry to a dangerous place like this without being able to send him back. I thought the whole point of giving us up was so we’d be safe.”

 

“It was-” 

 

“We’re not safe  _ here _ ! We need to go back. Henry deserves to grow up and go to college in a place where he won’t die of -- I dunno, plague, or gum disease or whatever kills people in this hellhole.”

 

The Queen took measured steps away to peer out through the balcony door, sweeping the filmy curtains aside, acting as though she was interested in what might be going on outside the room. But really, her own reflection was all that was visible in the glass due to the harsh whiteness of the Winter day.

 

After a long time Emma let herself flop backwards onto the bed, heedless of her boots on the bedspread.

 

“Were you happy.” The Queen’s voice was low.

 

“Huh?”

 

“I...” Regina exhaled. “I gave you both up knowing I could never be happy without you but I thought you would at least be happy together. I went under the sleeping curse knowing I’d never see my son again. Or you. I knew that the Saviour would be safe in another world, nowhere near close enough to kiss me awake.”

 

Her sudden forthrightness was a surprise to Emma. “Wait, you finally admit that? You  _ did _ want it to be me?”

 

“I never expected to see you again but then you did turn up in this realm, acting like you do, demanding to know why I’d consider marrying a man I hardly knew. You were so  _ you _ , just as I remembered. I began to think that if you saw how much good you could do here as a hero you’d want to stay here. With us. So that you could be here with your family and the parents you’ve been searching for your whole life.” 

 

“I don’t know them. I- it’s too soon. I can’t-” Emma struggled to say what she meant.

 

Regina turned around slowly to face her when she revealed the truth. “There’s no way to get back to Storybrooke. Not for any of us.”

 

“So we are stuck here.” Emma’s gaze hardened on the icy pale face of the other woman. “Hook was right. You brought me -- and Henry -- here, without any way of getting us back to the real world.”

 

“It was our only chance, your parents believed that you could do this. Besides, you and Henry were living fake lives, the ones I magically gave you. You weren’t really happy were you.”

 

“You have no idea what my life was like,” Emma said defensively.

 

“Actually I do. I really know you, Emma Swan. I also know that if you drank the Blue Fairy’s potion you’d remember everything we did together and maybe we could work out a way to get home with our magic. We’re stronger together, we’ve done incredible things in the past. But we can’t do any of that while ever you’re running from what you don’t even remember. And if it’s not possible and we have to stay here forever-- well, at least we’d all be together.”

 

Emma felt her stubbornness kick in. She sat up abruptly. “God no. I can’t stay here! This place is insane. No way.”

 

“This is where you belong,  _ Princess _ ,” the Queen said sharply. “It’s where you are from. You were born Royal and you were made to be the Saviour. The Summer kingdom is your birthright and you have a responsibility to save your people just as your parents have done countless times.”

 

“Great. Good for them. They saved everyone except me.”

 

“Trust me, as far as parents go they aren’t terrible. They love you and they’re trying to make up for lost time. You three were inseparable in Storybrooke. You could have those precious memories back in an instant.”

 

“I don’t want to remember anything about them!”

 

“Why not.” 

 

“Because it will make it impossible to leave. And I  _ have _ to go. I have to get Henry out of this medieval nightmare. It’s what’s best for him!”

 

Regina looked down and smiled to herself, seemingly enjoying some little irony. It felt like there were constant references and inside jokes that Emma wasn’t in on, she didn’t understand why the other woman looked so amused but she had a feeling it was at her expense. The twist of the Queen’s crimson painted lips annoyed her to no end. At the same time she felt like she’d seen it many times before.

 

Regina fixed her with a knowing glint in her eye. “Now that Henry remembers do you think he’d go back with you? Do you think he’d leave us -- his grandparents, his baby aunt, and me? Don’t forget, I’m his mother too. I’ve known him longer than you have and I am certain he will not agree to leave knowing the rest of us are here. He was willing to be a hero and risk everything for his family. Unlike you.”

 

“Yeah, and that’s why he’s missing right now! If you’re his real mother you damn well should have stopped him.”

 

Right on cue, they heard the voice of Snow White calling through the mirror.  _ “Regina! I need to speak with you urgently. It’s about Henry...” _

* * *

Emma and the Queen rushed to the magic mirror where the image was now frozen. After a second the blocky image stuttered as though it were a digital signal and there was some interference. It juddered and occasionally sound broke through.

 

“What’s wrong with it,” said Emma with impatience. “Is it buffering or something? This is worse than crappy wifi.”

 

Regina didn’t bother answering, eyes fixed on the mirror. “Mary Margaret? Snow? Answer me! If you have news of my son I need to hear it yesterday.”

 

The surface of the mirror sharpened to reveal the pale face of Snow White surrounded by what looked to be the battered ruins of the Summer Palace. The image bobbed, unsteady due to the handheld pocket mirror on Snow’s side that she was holding up like a Facetime session as she walked the stone corridors and negotiated the debris.

 

“Regina,” Snow said in relief. “Emma. Thank Grimm.”

 

“What’s going on,” said Emma. “Where’s Henry. Did you find him?”

 

“No, he’s not here. But we found the other Pawn guard he was paired with for the search. Her name is Jenna.”

 

“Jenna Meadows, g7,” said Regina straight away, apparently knowing the names of all the guards even the lowest ranks. “Is she alright?”

 

“Yes and no. David’s taken her out of the castle to find some water. She’s a bit shaken up.”

 

“Did she tell you what happened to Henry?”

 

Snow frowned apologetically. “Not yet. We’ll keep trying but it seems she doesn’t remember much. When we found her she was acting very strange… Regina, she’s a proper Elite isn’t she. Loyal? Dutiful?”

 

Regina bristled. “Of course. I boarded her myself. She was the most impressive new recruit in years. I’ll not stand to have it said otherwise.”

 

“I thought so.” Snow nodded. “When we found her she was apathetic, energyless... She couldn’t care less about anything. She was just sitting there. Until she turned blue and started choking like she couldn’t get any air.”

 

“And...?” Emma prompted. “You’re killing me here. What happened.”

 

Snow turned her head suddenly as though peering down both sides of an intersection of corridors before turning her attention back to the conversation. “Oh. David thumped her on the back and it must’ve dislodged whatever it was. She was fine after that. Well, mostly fine.”

 

“Did you find what it was?” Regina questioned. “For instance, did you find a little blue sphere like a marble?”

 

“No, but we weren’t really looking. Why?”

 

Emma swung her head to the Queen beside her, shrewdly guessing what the other woman was thinking. “You think it was one of those Shade things that the Witch keeps using?”

 

“Yes,” Regina replied. “It sounds like it. My guess would be the Shade of Acedia.”

 

“Uh, Seedy-what? I thought they were supposed to be the seven deadly sins or whatever.”

 

“Acedia is more commonly interpreted as Sloth -- laziness. But mostly it manifests as melancholia, a lack of energy, and a passiveness or indifference to duty. It’s a slowing of the mind. It fits with your mother’s description of Jenna’s affect and is likely responsible for the blue tinge associated with oxygen deprivation.”

 

“Fuck that,” Emma grumbled under her breath. “It’s not a sin to feel depressed. Who makes up this shit.”

 

“I quite agree.”

 

Snow stopped for a second to concentrate on her surroundings, as though trying to figure out where she was. “Girls, I’m going to go. I’ve just seen something in Anna’s room. We’ll call you back later after we question Jenna more about what happened. But I think it’s safe to say that Henry isn’t here.”

 

The Queen sighed shakily, worry evident in her expression and entire frame. There was nothing worse than being powerless to help a child in danger.

 

“Stepmother?”

 

Regina glared. “Don’t you dare get in the habit of calling me that, Snow. It makes me wish I’d killed you when I had the chance.”

 

“And yet here we are.” Snow smiled. “Listen, Regina, I know what you’re going through. We’ll get your son back to you. I promise.”

 

“Your unending optimism is ridiculous, dear.”

 

“Love you too. Be good, Emma. Bye.” The call ended with Snow giving a wave and a kiss to Emma and then her image faded from the mirror, leaving the two women starting at their own reflections in the glass. Each of them occupied with her own anxieties over their son and the hoped-for information that did not eventuate. They still didn’t know where Henry was or what had happened to him. Did the Witch get to him first? It seemed the most likely -- and worst -- explanation for his disappearance.

 

“We need to go find him,” said Emma, barely giving the silence any time to settle.

 

“Without evening knowing where to start?” said Regina. “No, it’s too dangerous for you. We should wait until your parents speak to Jenna. She might remember more.”

 

Emma propped her hands on her hips. “And why do you get to decide.”

 

The Queen was taken aback, apparently unused to her authority being questioned. She raised an imperious eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

 

“I’m sick of you deciding everything. Even if this crazy story is true and you’re Henry’s adoptive mother from some alternate universe or something, you don’t get to tell me to stay in the castle for my own safety when my own kid is in danger. I should be out there looking for him!”

 

“Are you done?”

 

“No.” Emma stepped closer and lowered her voice emphatically. “I gave birth to him. He’s a part of me. My blood runs through his veins. You can never erase that no matter how much you try. You can’t suddenly come back into his life, thinking you know what’s best for the kid and push me aside like I was just babysitting him for you. I’m his mother. I get to decide. Not some interloper with magic tricks and a Disney castle. Even Snow talked to you like you’re his Mom and I’m not.”

 

To Emma’s surprise Regina didn’t get angry and argue back. The Queen merely smiled and chuckled, shaking her head, all the while listening to the rant as though it were mightily amusing. In any other circumstance she would’ve killed for them to be standing so close and with such sparks flying between them. But right now--

 

“ _ What _ is so funny,” snapped Emma.

 

“You. Oh, I have lived for this day and all its irony. If only it were at a less irritating time so that I could enjoy it more.”

 

“What the hell does that mean?”

 

“It means, dear,” Regina’s dark eyes lost their mirth and narrowed, pinning the Saviour into place with expert precision. “That you’re worried I’m going to take him from you. You’re worried I might have a better claim at being his mother than you do and that everyone’s going to agree. You’re worried I’m going to win his love and turn Henry against you and that he’ll choose to stay here with me. And do you know how I know all this? Because it’s  _ exactly what you did to me _ .”

 

Utterly stunned that Regina had zeroed in on her fears, Emma stammered over her words. “You can’t blame me for that- ….Whatever happened in - in Storybrooke or whatever. … I don’t remember any of it.”

 

Regina grabbed both her hands in her own and squeezed them tight. Her voice lost its hard edge. “Then take the potion, Emma.  _ Please _ . I need you to remember.”

 

“I- … I can’t.”

 

“Then so be it.  _ GUARDS!”  _ The Queen hollered and two liveried and armed men instantly appeared from nowhere. “Escort Miss Swan to the dungeon.”

* * *

_ Summer Kingdom forest camp _

 

Commander Beretta had seen terrible wounds during her military career. Her memory was forever stained with the blood of innocents slain in battles they should never have been anywhere near. The Ogre Wars had raged for centuries mercilessly stealing generations of young villagers. Whatever beast or being that ended them would’ve had to have been far more cruel.

 

And now the evidence was before her very eyes.

 

The temptation to shy away from violence or suffering had been forcibly suppressed in her youth. She’d begun training almost as soon as she could walk. Her entire life’s purpose had always been centered around her duty to the Winter crown. Nothing else had mattered.

 

Almost nothing.

 

He’d been a boy when they’d met. Barely older and no stronger than her. They trained together and been boarded together as pawns, years of adolescent quibbling evolved into a fierce adult rivalry. They achieved the rank of Commander in the same year. He was the only one who never thought of her as Second.

 

Beretta swallowed the sick taste that rose in her throat at the sight of her oldest friend. Commander Bishop lay still as death upon the makeshift stretcher. There was nary a part of his uniform that had not been slashed to ribbons, now tattered and covered in drying blood. The coppery stench of it filled her nostrils. She breathed it in deliberately, inhaling the last of his earthly presence.

 

It was never forbidden in law for them to be together. But duty and calling had been too deeply embedding their psyches for them to act upon their attraction. They were perfect parallel warriors, always flanking the Queen and never -- never -- intersecting the same square.

 

He was unconscious, his breathing was already irregular. She counted the seconds between each slow wheeze of air, wondering whether another one was coming after it. Would this be the last? Could she start grieving yet and get it over with?

 

“Is he going to die.” A girl’s voice trembled.

 

Beretta tore her eyes away to glance at her side (she would regret wasting that second later) to identify Jenna, one of Bishop’s youngest charges.

 

“Yes, Pawn. He will likely die upon this hour.”

 

“Oh no.” Jenna choked up. “It’s all my fault.”

 

“It is not. Do not dishonour him by disrespecting his choice to further the mission.”

 

“Forgive me. I-” the pre-teen started weeping, her face red with embarrassment and trying to hold it in.

 

Beretta did not have the energy to comfort the girl. Nobody had comforted  _ her _ , not the first time she’d seen a dead body and hurled before crying for days. Nor did they the second or third time. She’d long trained away the urge to cry. It was no longer possible, even when it would have been appropriate.

 

“Don’t do that, young Elite.” Commander Beretta placed a hand on Jenna’s shoulder. “Do not stop yourself from crying.”

 

Jenna sniffed wetly. “Why? You are stronger than I will ever be, I must learn to be better. You do not cry and nor shall I.”

 

“I am too tired to cry,” said Beretta.

 

There was silence in the Medic’s tent. Full fat minutes of it passed and then, a shower of rain began to gently fall.

  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
